Turkish clashes heighten tensions
ANKARA, Turkey — The U.S. on Monday urged Turkish troops and Kurdish forces in northern Syria to halt their fighting, saying it hinders efforts to defeat the Islamic State group. But Turkey’s president vowed to press ahead with the military operation until the Islamic State and Kurdish Syrian fighters no longer pose a security threat to Ankara.
The Pentagon’s statement was the first U.S. criticism of its NATO ally since it opened a U.S.backed incursion into northern Syria to help Syrian rebels seize the town of Jarablus from the Islamic State group. They have been clashing with Kurdish Syrian forces around the town to try to halt their advance.
The battle now pits Turkey against the Kurdish-led force known as the Syria Democratic Forces — a U.S.-backed proxy that is the most effective ground force battling Islamic State militants in Syria’s 5year-old civil war. It puts Washington in the difficult spot of having to choose between two allies, and it is likely to divert resources from the fight against the militants.
In a statement, Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said the clashes were of “deep concern,” adding that they were not coordinated with U.S. forces, “and we do not support them.”
“Uncoordinated operations and maneuvers only provide room for ISIL to find sanctuary and continue planning attacks against Turkey, the SDF, the United States, and our partners around the world,” the statement said, using an acronym for the militants.
Turkish officials responded by insisting that Kurdish forces “immediately” withdraw east of the Euphrates River or face more attacks by Turkish forces.
“No one has the right to tell Turkey to ‘fight this terror organization but don’t fight that terror organization,’ ” said Omer Celik, a Turkish Cabinet minister.
Turkey’s Hurriyet newspaper, in an online edition, quoted Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus as responding to the Pentagon by saying the U.S. should keep to its promise and use its influence to press its Kurdish allies to withdraw to the east.
President Obama will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Sunday when he travels to Asia for meetings with world leaders.