Turkey vows to broaden Syria attacks
ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey’s president Wednesday vowed to expand Ankara’s operation against Kurdish forces in northern Syria beyondtheenclaveofafrinand toward the town of Manbij, which would bring Turkish troops and their Syrian allies closer to U.S. forces supporting the Kurds against the Islamic State group.
President Donald Trump, in a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, warned Turkeyagainsttaking steps that could risk military conflict between U.S. and Turkish forces in Syria andurgedtheturkish leader to limit the operation and civilian casualties.
The White House saidtrumpexpressed concerns about the growing violence and told Erdogan it jeopardizes shared U.s.-turkish goals in Syria and expressed concern about “destructive and false rhetoric coming from Turkey.” It did not elaborate on thatrhetoric.
Erdogan’s office said the Turkish leader urged Trump in the phone call to halt the U.S. supply of weapons to the Syrian Kurdish militia. He also told Trump that Turkey’s offensive seeks to rid Afrin of “terroristelements”andprotectturkey’s national security.
A senior U.S. official, speaking earlier, said Washington is concerned that Turkey’s military offensive against Afrin could distract from the fight against IS and be exploited by extremists.
The official told reporters Wednesday in Ankara that the Syrian Kurdish fighters in Afrin are not part of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, which drove IS from much of northeastern Syria with the help of the U.s.-led coalition.
Regarding threats to expand the offensive to Manbij, the official said Washington’s “number one concern is the safety and security of troops in the vicinity.” U.S. forces are based in Kurdish-held parts of northeastern Syria.
Turkey launched an incursion Saturday into Afrin, which is controlled by a Kurdish militia known as the People’s Defense Units, or YPG. Ankara views the YPG as an extension of the Kurdish insurgency in Turkey. The YPG forms the backbone of the Syrian Democratic Forces.
“We will clean our region from this trouble completely,” Erdogan told officials at a meeting in Ankara. “This operation will continue until the last member of the terror organization is neutralized.”