US ASKS TURKEY TO SCALE DOWN ATTACKS VS KURDS
WASHINGTON— US President Donald Trump urged Turkey on Wednesday to curtail its military operation, dubbed “Olive Branch,” in Syria and warned it not to bring US and Turkish forces into conflict.
Turkey’s air and ground operation in Syria’s Afrin region, now on its fifth day, targets USbacked Kurdish YPG fighters, which Ankara sees as allies of Kurdish insurgents who have fought in southeastern Turkey for decades.
US forces at risk
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would extend the operation to Manbij, a separate Kurdish-held enclave some 100 kilometers east of Afrin, possibly putting US forces there at risk.
Speaking with Erdogan by telephone, Trump pointedly warned of the risk of the two al- lies’ forces coming into conflict.
“He urged Turkey to deescalate, limit its military actions, and avoid civilian casualties,” a White House statement said.
“He urged Turkey to exercise caution and to avoid any actions that might risk conflict between Turkish and American forces,” it added.
But a Turkish source said the White House statement did not accurately reflect the con- tent of their phone call.
“President Trump did not share any ‘concerns about escalating violence’ with regard to the ongoing military operation in Afrin,” the source said, referring to one comment in the White House summary of their conversation.
“The two leaders’ discussion of Operation Olive Branch was limited to an exchange of views,” the source said.—