‘TURKISH TERRORISTS’ TWEET LANDS US COLONEL IN HOT WATER
▶ Social media blunder adds to renewed Washington-Ankara tension
The spokesman for the US-led coalition against ISIS, Col Sean Ryan, has apologised after a retweet landed him in diplomatic difficulties this week.
Col Ryan shared a tweet by Will Jamesson-Bryant in which he referred to Turkish army snipers as “terrorists”.
Turkey is a crucial US partner in the battle against ISIS and has forces in northern Syria.
The tweet features an image of four children walking by what Mr Jamesson-Bryant identifies as a US Special Forces vehicle patrolling the Turkey-Syria border.
The caption reads: “US Special Forces [Green Berets] patrolling the Rojava-Turkey border after terrorist Turkish army snipers targeted Rojavan civilians, killing a little girl walking home from school. These children are safe, protected by Green Berets.”
The tweet was shared by Col Ryan through the official account of Operation Inherent Resolve, drawing criticism.
Some called for the spokesman’s resignation, but others praised the joint US-Syrian Democratic Forces efforts in north-eastern Syria.
In response to the backlash yesterday, Col Ryan tweeted: “In my official capacity, I accidentally shared content that was insulting to our coalition partner Turkey, a key partner in the mission to defeat ISIS.
“I meant no disrespect. We have a duty to mutual security and we are committed to defeating ISIS. Please accept my apology.”
In a statement to The National, US Central Command said the “tweet was unfortunate and an oversight. He certainly did not mean any disrespect.”
The tweet follows months of strained relations between Washington and Ankara over America’s support for the Syrian Democratic Forces – a Kurdish-led, anti-ISIS militia.
Turkey’s violent history with its own Kurdish separatists, the PKK, and the group’s close ties to the US-backed Syrian Kurds have been aggravated by the presence of SDF forces on the Turkish border.
Turkey considers the YPG, a Kurdish militia that is a major component of the SDF, as an offshoot of the PKK.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently threatened to launch a new offensive against the US-backed forces after the Pentagon confirmed the US had established observation posts on the Syria-Turkey border.
Kurdish and Turkish forces in Syria have clashed on a number of occasions.
At the Doha Forum this week, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu denied threatening US troops in Syria, saying Turkey would target only the SDF.
But US forces are embedded with the Kurdish-led force.
The SDF on Friday captured the town of Hajin, the largest urban area controlled by ISIS in eastern Syria.
The “end days” of ISIS in the enclave they hold near Iraq’s border are getting closer, but “they still have the capability for co-ordinated attacks, and the fight is not over”, Col Ryan said.
The Trump administration hopes the US-backed fight against ISIS in its last foothold in north-eastern Syria will be over in months.
But a top US diplomat recently said American forces would remain to ensure the “enduring defeat” of the militant group.
US Central Command called the tweet an ‘unfortunate oversight,’ and said Col Sean Ryan did not mean any disrespect