Erdoğan says operations in Iraq's Sinjar have started

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Sunday at a congress of his ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party in Turkey's northern province of Trabzon stated that operations against the terrorist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) have started in Iraq’s Sinjar.

"We said that this [operation] won't end with Afrin. PKK terrorists headed towards Sinjar. I said we will enter Sinjar. Operations have started there. There's a fight both outside and inside. Our problem lies with terrorists, we're not an invading country. There are examples of that in the West. Our African friends know this very well. There's justice in our history. We are on the side of the oppressed. There's no coexisting with oppressors. We stand with the oppressed."

Operation Olive Branch was initiated on Jan. 20 in Afrin to establish security and stability, eliminate PKK/KCK/PYD-YPG and Daesh terrorists, and save locals from their oppression and cruelty.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union and the United States. The PKK has been conducting armed violence in the southeastern part of Turkey since 1984. More than 40,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the three-decade long conflict.