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US slams Turkey over ‘unacceptable clashes’ with Syria opposition, says they aid ISIS
RT,
29
August, 2016
The
US says clashes between Turkish forces and opposition groups in
northern Syria are “unacceptable.” Washington is concerned this
will take the focus away from fighting Islamic State and give the
terrorist group the possibility to capture more territory.
Turkey’s
use of force against Kurdish forces in Syria has not gone down well
with the US, with Washington openly supporting the Kurdish YPG
fighters, who have proved to be a vital ground force in the battle
against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL).
"We
want to make clear that we find these clashes - in areas where ISIL
is not located - unacceptable and a source of deep concern,"
Brett McGurk, the special presidential envoy for the coalition to
counter Islamic State, said on his official Twitter account, citing a
Defense Department statement.
Brett McGurk
DOD: Accordingly, we call on all armed actors to stand down and take appropriate measures to deconflict & open channels of communication.
"We
call on all armed actors to stand down... the US is actively engaged
to facilitate such deconfliction and unity of focus on ISIL, which
remains a lethal and common threat."
During
Monday’s press briefing, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter also
urged Turkey to concentrate its ground campaign in Syria on fighting
Islamic State.
"We
have called upon Turkey... to stay focused on the fight against ISIL
and not to engage Syrian Defense Forces, and we've had a number of
contacts over the last several days," Carter told reporters.
However,
Turkey reacted angrily to the American rebuke, with its minister for
European Union affairs, Omer Celik, saying no one could tell Ankara
which terrorist group it was allowed to target.
"No
one has the right to tell us which terrorist organization we can
fight against and which one to ignore," Celik told a news
conference in Ankara, as cited by Reuters.
Turkey’s
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has issued a stark warning to
Kurdish Syrian forces, saying they must “immediately” withdraw
east of the Euphrates River, otherwise they would face more strikes
from Turkish forces.
"The
YPG has to immediately cross east of the Euphrates River as they
promised the United States and as they announced they would,"
Cavusoglu said, as cited by AP. "If they don't they will be a
target."
Ankara
is worried that Kurdish forces are trying to extend their area of
control along Turkey’s southern border. Turkey has been involved in
a three-decade-long conflict with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party
(PKK), which is based in the southeast of the country.
Washington
has also reiterated a demand to the Syrian Kurds that they cross the
Euphrates. The US says that such a movement has “largely occurred,”
while fighters from the US-backed Syria Democratic Forces (SDF),
which includes Syrian Kurdish militias, say they have withdrawn south
following the Turkish offensive.
"We,
the Military council of Jarablus and its countryside, announce the
withdrawal of our forces to the line south of the Sajour River to
preserve the lives of civilians and so that no pretext remains for
continued strikes on villages and civilians," an online
statement from the military council said, as cited by Reuters.
On
August 24, Turkey launched a ground operation in Syria codenamed
‘Shield of Euphrates.’ Despite saying it is fighting IS, Turkey
has been bombarding Syrian Kurdish YPG militia positions over the
last few days and Kurdish officials believe this could be part of a
wider goal from Ankara to suppress the Syrian Kurds.
"Turkey's
claims that it is fighting the YPG west of the Euphrates have no
basis in truth and are merely flimsy pretexts to widen its occupation
of Syrian land," Redur Xelil, chief spokesman for the Syrian
Kurdish YPG militia, told Reuters.
On
Sunday, Ankara said it killed 25 Kurdish fighters, including from the
SDF during airstrikes near Jarablus. The assault came “in response
to attacks on advancing Turkish-backed rebels” operating in the
area.
Representatives
of the Kurdish-backed SDF said on Sunday that Turkish airstrikes and
shelling of predominantly Kurdish positions in northeast Syria led to
civilian casualties.
RT
The
current Turkish operation in Syria has been slammed by Damascus as a
“blatant violation of sovereignty.” Following the intrusion, the
Russian Foreign Ministry also said it was “deeply worried” about
the latest development.
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