Turkey plans military action against Syrian Kurdish YPG if diplomacy fails

FILE PHOTO: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a news conference following a cabinet meeting in Ankara, Turkey October 11, 2021. Presidential Press Office/Handout via REUTERS

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey is preparing for possible further military action against a U.S.-backed Kurdish militia in northern Syria if talks on the issue with the United States and Russia fail, two Turkish officials said.

President Tayyip Erdogan said this week Ankara was determined to eliminate threats originating in northern Syria and that a Kurdish YPG militia attack that killed two Turkish police officers was "the final straw".