WASHINGTON – The US State Department has called on Turkey not to take anymilitary action in Syria’s northwestern region of Afrin.
State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert on Thursday urged Ankara toremain focused on fighting Daesh terrorists in the region.
Asked about reports that Turkey was making preparations to launch militarystrikes in Afrin, Nauert told reporters, “We would call … on the Turks tonot take any actions of that sort. … We don’t want them to engage inviolence but we want them to keep focused on ISIS [Daesh].”
The comments came after Ankara said Turkish forces will intervene in Afrinto counter Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) militants.
Ankara views the YPG as the Syrian branch of the militant KurdistanWorkers’ Party (PKK) that has been fighting for an autonomous region insideTurkey since 1984.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said earlier in the day that therecent statements from the United States regarding plans to create a30,000-strong “terror army” on Syria’s northern borders with Turkey werenot satisfactory for the Ankara government.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (Photo by AFP)
Cavusoglu told Turkish-language CNN Turk television news network thatTurkey would intervene in Afrin and Manbij to counter YPG militants, andthat its mistrust of Washington continues.
The top Turkish diplomat noted that the United States must retake theweapons given to the terrorists, and completely end its cooperation withthem.
Meanwhile, Syria warned Turkey that any combat operation inside thewar-torn country would be considered an act of aggression by the Turkisharmy.
Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Meqdad told reporters in Damascus onThursday that his country’s forces are prepared to repel such an attack.
“We warn the Turkish leadership that if they initiate combat operations inthe Afrin area, that will be considered an act of aggression by the Turkisharmy,” he said.Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Meqdad
However, Turkey’s Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul said on Thursday that hiscountry “could never remain silent” in the face of developments thatthreatened its borders and security.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly said that Afrinshould be cleared of “terrorists,” and demanded the deployment of Turkishtroops there during a speech back in November 2016.
This is while US officials consider the YPG as the most effective fightingforce against Daesh Takfiri terrorist group in northern Syria, and havesubstantially increased their weaponry and technology support to themilitant group.