The Presidency's Directorate of Communications denied the BBC's "We Are Still at War" news

AA

Creation Date: February 26, 2025 19:59

The Directorate of Communications made a written statement regarding the news report titled "We Are Still at War. Syria's Kurds Are Fighting Turkey Months After the Fall of Assad" by the UK-based BBC.

The statement emphasized that the news in question did not reflect the truth, and that the news was immediately intervened in and a denial was sent, and the Center for Combating Disinformation also made a statement on the matter.

In the denial text sent to the BBC, it was reported that the news in question contained one-sided and misleading statements that distorted Turkey's legitimate counter-terrorism activities in Syria, and it was emphasized that Turkey did not target any ethnic group or civilians in its fight against terrorism.

"THEY ARE TRYING TO CREATE A COMPLETELY WRONG PERCEPTION"

The statement, which stated that Turkey's sole target is terrorist organizations such as the PKK/YPG and DAESH that threaten peace and security in the region, and that operations in northern Syria are being carried out in accordance with international law, with priority given to the protection of civilians, noted the following:

"The news is trying to create a completely false perception that 'Turkey is waging a war against the Kurds in Syria'. Turkey attaches importance to Syria's territorial integrity and the peaceful living of its people, and adopts an approach that considers all ethnic and religious groups in the country. Turkey has hosted and continues to host millions of Syrians, including Kurds whose identities were ignored during the Baath regime, whose citizenship rights were taken away, and who were subjected to systematic oppression. The thousands of Syrians of Kurdish origin living in Turkey today are the clearest indicator of Turkey's inclusive and people-oriented policies.

Turkey is very sensitive about protecting women and children in the region from armed conflict. Turkey's operations are planned with the utmost sensitivity to avoid harming civilians, and humanitarian aid efforts in the region continue uninterruptedly. However, it is a fact documented by international reports that the PKK/YPG terrorist organization forcibly recruits children, abuses women and uses civilians as human shields. Turkey's struggle aims to prevent such human rights violations and ensure the safety of the people in the region.

"WE EXPECT THE BBC TO ACT WITH AN OBJECTIVE AND MULTI-FUNCTIONAL JOURNALISM APPROACH"

The statement emphasized that Turkey strongly supports the efforts of the new Syrian administration, established after the end of the Baath regime, to establish national unity and solidarity in a way that will encompass all segments of the country, and that Syria's future should be shaped by an inclusive and peaceful governance approach in which all ethnic and religious groups in the country are included as equal citizens.

The statement pointed out that the biggest threat to these efforts of the new Syrian administration is the existence of the separatist and terrorist organization PKK /YPG, and underlined that the PKK/YPG is disrupting the unity and stability of Syria, fueling ethnic discrimination, trying to establish an illegal administration in the region through terrorism, and that this situation endangers the security of not only Syria but the entire region.

"Türkiye IS ONE OF THE COUNTRIES THAT IS FIGHTING MOST EFFECTIVELY AGAINST ISIS"

The statement emphasized that Turkey's presence in Syria coincides with the goals of the international coalition aimed at ending the threat posed by all terrorist organizations, especially ISIS, in the region, and included the following statements:

"Turkey has been one of the countries that has waged the most effective fight against ISIS , neutralizing tens of thousands of terrorists and making the region safe. Turkey has also ensured the safety of thousands of civilians fleeing ISIS's oppression and supported humanitarian aid in the region. We expect the BBC to act with an objective and multi-faceted approach to journalism instead of one-sided and untrue news that misleads the public."