Islam Times - Erdogan Calls for Eliminating All Terrorist Groups in Syria

Islam Times - All terrorist groups operating in Syria must be eliminated, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during a phone call with Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer.

"President Erdogan said that Syria has entered a period when its people will decide about the future of their country. And it is vital to eliminate all terrorist organizations, including the Kurdistan Workers’ Party and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) to defend its territorial integrity," Erdogan’s office said, according to TASS.

Erdogan told Nehammer that Syrian refugees begin to return to their homeland and noted that this process will depend on living conditions in that country.

"President Erdogan also stated that support from the international community is needed to recover Syria and its infrastructure destroyed as a result of the civil war," it added.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham terrorists captured the capital of Damascus on December 8. Russian officials said that Bashar Assad, who ruled the country for 14 years, stepped down as president and left Syria for Russia, where he was granted asylum.

Mohammed al-Bashir, who ran an Idlib-based administration formed by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and other armed groups, was named interim prime minister on December 10.

He announced later that the interim government had been formed and would remain in place until March 2025.