ANKARA – Any unilateral military action in northern Syria would be”unacceptable”, the Pentagon said Wednesday after Turkey announced it wouldlaunch an operation against a US-backed Kurdish militia.
The warning came after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey wouldsoon begin a mission targeting the Kurdish People s Protection Units (YPG),which Ankara considers a “terrorist” group.
“We will start an operation to free the east of the Euphrates from theseparatist terrorist organisation in the next few days,” Erdogan saidduring a speech in Ankara, referring to territory held by the KurdishPeople s Protection Units (YPG).
American forces have worked closely with the YPG under the Kurdish-ledSyrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance, which has played a key role in thewar against the Islamic State (IS) extremist group
The Pentagon has repeatedly warned that any fighting between the Turks andthe SDF is a dangerous distraction from the core US mission in Syria offighting IS.
Pentagon spokesman Commander Sean Robertson said any unilateral militaryaction in northeast Syria would be a “grave concern”, as it couldpotentially jeopardise US troops working with the SDF in the region.
“We would find any such actions unacceptable,” he said in a statement.
Turkey says the YPG is a “terrorist offshoot” of the outlawed KurdistanWorkers Party (PKK), which has waged an insurgency against the Turkishstate since 1984.
PKK is blacklisted as a terror group by Ankara and its Western allies.
“The target is never American soldiers but terrorist organisation membersactive in the region,” Erdogan told the audience at a defence industrysummit.
American forces are with the SDF east of the Euphrates as well as in theflashpoint city of Manbij, which is west of the river.
“We should not and cannot allow (IS) to breathe at this critical point orwe will jeopardise the significant gains we have made alongside ourcoalition partners and risk allowing (IS) to resurge,” Robertson said.
The YPG also said a Turkish offensive would be to the benefit of IS.
“The (Turkish) threats coincide with the advance of our forces against theterrorists, this time with the entrance into the town of Hajin,” YPGspokesman Nuri Mahmud said.
The SDF launched an offensive on September 10 to expel IS from the Hajinpocket, on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River close to the Iraqiborder.
“Any attack on the north of Syria will have a direct impact on the battleof Hajin. The forces who are fighting (there) will return to defend theirareas and their families,” Mahmud said.
Washington s relationship with the YPG, seen as a key ally, is one of themain sources of tensions between the United States and NATO member Turkey.
Ankara has repeatedly lambasted Washington for providing military supportto the Kurdish militia.
Erdogan has previously threatened to attack areas held by the YPG. In a bidto avoid any clash, the NATO allies agreed a “roadmap” for Manbij in June.
Erdogan s comments came a day after the Pentagon announced the setting upof US observation posts on the northeast Syria border region intended toprevent altercations between the Turkish army and the YPG despite callsfrom Ankara not to go ahead with the move.
Erdogan claimed Turkey was not being protected from terrorists but”terrorists were being protected” from possible action by Turkey.
Elizabeth Teoman, analyst at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), saidErdogan may be threatening the attacks “to compel a change in US policyregarding the US observation posts along the Syrian-Turkish border”.
She added that “Turkey may attempt to target YPG rear areas without adefinitive US presence in the form of an observation posts.”
Turkey has previously launched two operations in northern Syria. The firstoffensive began in August 2016 with Turkish forces supporting Syrianopposition fighters against IS and was completed by March 2017.
Then in January 2018, Turkish military forces backed Syrian rebels to clearthe YPG from its northwestern enclave of Afrin.
In March, the operation was completed with the capture of Afrin city. -APP/AFP