Turkey, YPG clash: report

Syria preparing to attack: US

WASHINGTON: The Trump administration said yesterday it had detected “active preparations” by Syria for a chemical attack and threatened to retaliate – warning of action that could plunge America deeper into a civil war alongside the fight against Islamic State militants.

The chemical threat and sudden White House warning illustrate the challenging complexities of the fighting in Syria, a country whose territory was used by IS to march into Iraq in 2014 and prompt a US return to the Middle East’s battlefield. Washington now has more than 5 000 troops in Iraq and about 1 000 in Syria.

President Donald Trump has said he won’t stand for Syria’s use of chemical weapons, which are banned under international law and are particularly worrisome in the Arab country because they could fall into extremists’ hands.

The Pentagon said the preparations detected by the US occurred at the same air base where Syrian aircraft embarked on a sarin gas strike on April 4, killing almost 90 people. Days later, Trump ordered a cruise missile attack against the base in retaliation.

The Syrian government has denied it ever used banned chemicals, and it rejected Washington’s latest allegation yesterday.

Syria’s two main allies, Russia and Iran, joined in bashing Washington. Iran’s foreign minister called the US threat a “dangerous escalation.” A sen- ior Russian lawmaker accused the US of a “provocation.”

Since Trump’s inauguration, US involvement in Syria has deepened. Earlier this month, the US shot down a Syrian fighter jet for the first time. It has twice downed Iranian drones.

The US cruise missile strike in April was the first intentional American assault on Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government or military.

The White House issued a brief written statement on Monday night saying it had detected potential preparations for another chemical attack and emphasising the Syrian government would “pay a heavy price” if it proceeded. – ANA-AP ISTANBUL: Turkey’s military returned fire against members of the Kurdish YPG militia near Syria’s Afrin region overnight, broadcaster Haberturk reported today.

It was not clear whether there were any casualties.

The report said Turkey’s military retaliated after YPG fighters opened fire on their positions. Afrin is in northwest of Syria and near the border with Turkey.

The US supports the YPG in the fight against Islamic State in Syria, despite repeated protests from Nato ally Turkey, which sees the Syrian Kurdish fighters as terrorists and fears their advance will inflame a Kurdish insurgency at home. – Reuters