US and Turkey set for talks on fate of Kurds

US National Security Adviser John Bolton is set to press Turkey for assurances that it won’t attack the Kurdish fighters in Syria, which he said is now a condition for the withdrawal of American troops from northeastern Syria.

Bolton arrived on Monday for negotiations with the Nato ally about the safety of the Kurds, who have fought alongside American forces against the Daesh in Syria, and fear a military assault from Turkey should the US pull out.

His visit comes a day after Bolton said guarantees about the safety of the Kurds were a “condition” of the withdrawal of about 2,000 troops in the region that President Donald Trump ordered last month.

The talks are likely to be contentious, as Turkey considers the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units, or YPG, a terrorist group linked to an insurgency within its borders, and has threatened to mount a campaign against the groups. Bolton, who is expected to meet on Tuesday with Turkish officials including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said the US would oppose any such move against its allies in the fight against Daesh.

Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar hit out at Bolton on Monday, saying on Twitter that Turkey’s fight isn’t against Kurds but against Kurdish rebels and

Daesh militants who pose a threat to all ethnic groups.

“Our fight is against YPG, PKK and Daesh terrorists who are a threat against our Kurdish, Arab, Turkmen brothers and all ethnic and religious groups,” he said. PKK is the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party.

And Turkey’s presidential spokesman, with whom Bolton will meet on Tuesday, called allegations that his country planned to attack the US-allied Kurds in Syria “irrational” and said Turkey was fighting terrorism for national security. —