Türkiye has reaffirmed that it will not be asking anyone for permission to wage a ground military operation in neighboring Syria, but indicators for it launching the campaign remain absent at a time the country is facing Russian and US pressures to fall back on its planned operation against the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said that Türkiye doesn’t require any party’s approval to carry out military operations against what he labeled as terrorists. Türkiye labels the People’s Defense Units (YPG), a mainly Kurdish militia in Syria and the primary component of the SDF, as terrorists and an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). “The terrorist organization targets Türkiye’s peace and security. For the protection of our country and borders, we use our right to self-defense arising from Article 51 of the UN Charter. In doing so, it is out of question to get permission from anyone,” Hulusi Akar told the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero. “Recognized as a terrorist organization by the EU, NATO and the US, the PKK operates under different names to mislead the international community. The key point is that the PKK and its Syrian offshoot, the YPG, are one and the same organization,” stressed the defense chief. Akar pointed out that Türkiye respects Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and hosts large numbers of Syrians fleeing the war. In other news, Kurdish media reports mentioned US pressure prompting Türkiye to back down from the military operation it threatened to carry out after the terrorist bombing that took place on Istiklal Street in Taksim district in Istanbul on November 13. Ankara blamed the attack, which left six dead and 81 injured, on the YPG and carried out Operation Claw-Sword in northern Syria and Iraq in retaliation. Washington intends to deploy its forces again to areas it withdrew from in northeastern Syria three years ago, Kurdish media reported. This comes at a time when the SDF has not yet shown approval of the Russian proposal to withdraw forces and weapons from Manbij and Ayn al-Arab (Kobani) and hand them over to Damascus. Handing over control to the Syrian regime would achieve Türkiye’s demands of having Kurdish forces pushed 30 kilometers away from its southern border.