Turkish invasion ‘unacceptable’
TOKYO: US Defence Secretary Mark Esper said yesterday that the US intends to prevent any unilateral invasion by Turkey into northern Syria, saying any such move by the Turks would be “unacceptable”.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened an imminent attack in the northeast to push back USallied Syrian Kurdish Forces. American and Turkish military officials have been meeting in Ankara to try and negotiate a settlement to avoid the invasion, and Mr Esper said yesterday that he believes they have made progress on some of the key issues.
US officials have made clear that an invasion is an extremely risky venture that could threaten the safety of US forces working with the SDF and potentially impede the continued defeat of Islamic State militants in the region.
“What we’re going to do is prevent unilateral incursions that would upset, again, these mutual interests that the United States, Turkey and the SDF share with regard to northern Syria,” Mr Esper told reporters travelling with him to Japan.
The dispute further weakens US relations with Nato ally Turkey, coming closely on the heels of the Trump administration’s decision to remove Ankara from the American-led F-35 fighter aircraft programme because it is buying a Russian air defence system that would aid Moscow’s intelligence.
Hundreds of US troops are stationed east of the Euphrates River in northern Syria working with the SDF, and an incursion by Turkey could put them in the middle of a firefight.