If the new Syrian government does not deal with the Kurds, Turkey will do whatever it takes to protect its security

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Fidan said that if the new Syrian government fails to address Turkey's concerns about the U.S.-allied Kurdish group, Turkey will do "whatever it takes" to ensure Turkey's security.

Fidan said in an interview with France 24 television on Saturday that Turkey's preferred option is for the new government in Damascus to resolve the issue while preserving the unity, sovereignty and integrity of Syria's territory.

He also said the Kurdish group should be disbanded immediately. "If we don't, we have to protect our national security."

Asked if that included military action, Fidan said: "Whatever it takes."

Fidan also said he did not think the recent increase in U.S. troop numbers in Syria was the "right decision" and that the fight against ISIS was an "excuse" for continued U.S. support for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). "The mission against ISIS has only one thing: to put ISIS prisoners in jail, nothing more."

The U.S.-backed SDF, which played a major role in defeating ISIS militants between 2014 and 2017, still holds militants in prison camps.

Turkey, however, views the SDF as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The PKK has been fighting the Turkish state for four decades and is designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.

After Assad's fall, Turkish-backed armed groups, the Syrian National Army, fought with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northern Syria. The two sides reached a ceasefire agreement last week in the city of Manbij, brokered by the United States.

Fidan also said that Ahrar al-Sham, or HTS, which is overthrowing the Assad regime, had "cooperated well" with Turkey in the past in terms of intelligence sharing in the fight against terrorism.

He said Turkey was not in favor of any foreign bases remaining in Syria, including Russian bases in Syria, but the choice was in the hands of the Syrian people.