‘US must withdraw support for Kurdish forces’

TURKEY said on Wednesday it would not hesitate to take action in Syria’s Afrin district and other areas unless the United States withdrew support for a Kurdish-led force there, but Washington denied such plans and said “some people misspoke”.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has repeatedly warned of an imminent incursion in Afrin after Washington said it would help the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), led by the Kurdish YPG militia, set up a new 30,000-strong border force.

The plan has infuriated Turkey, which considers the Syrian YPG as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militant group, which has fought an insurgency in the country’s south-east since 1984. The PKK is considered a terrorist group by the European Union, Turkey and the United States.

Deputy Prime Minister and Government Spokesman Bekir Bozdağ told reporters after a Cabinet meeting the planned US-backed force posed a threat to Turkey’s national security, territorial integrity and the safety of its citizens.

“We emphasised that such a step was very wrong,” he said. “Turkey has reached the limits of its patience. Nobody should expect Turkey to show more patience.”

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson denied that the United States had any intention of building a Syria-Turkey border force and said the issue had been “misportrayed, misdescribed”.

He said Turkish officials had been told US intentions were only “to ensure that local elements are providing security to liberated areas”.

The Pentagon said in an earlier statement it was training “internally focused” Syrian fighters with a goal of preventing the Islamic State group’s resurgence and ensuring Syrians displaced by the war could return to their communities.

“We are keenly aware of the security concerns of Turkey, our coalition partner and Nato ally. Turkey’s security concerns are legitimate,” it said.

Some Turkish troops have been in Syria for three months after entering northern Idlib province following an agreement with Russia and Iran to try to reduce fighting between pro-Syrian government forces and rebel fighters. The observation posts which the Turkish army says it has established are close to the dividing line between Arab rebel-held land and Kurdishcontrolled Afrin.

Turkey’s National Security Council said earlier on Wednesday Turkey would not allow the formation of a “terrorist army” along its borders.

“When the Turkish people and Turkish state’s safety is in question, when it is necessary to remove risks and destroy threats, Turkey will do so without hesitation,” Mr Bozdağ said.

On Monday, with relations between the United States and Turkey stretched close to breaking point, Mr Erdoğan threatened to “strangle” the planned US-backed force in Syria “before it’s even born”.

The United States has about 2,000 troops on the ground in Syria.