Ankara-Washington gaps widening over Syria

TEHRAN (FNA)- Photos released by the local and European media showing the US soldiers wearing patches of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) in Raqqa battlefields have caused serious rifts between the US and its NATO ally Turkey over the US army’s direct support for the Kurdish fighters in Syria, reports said.

The Turkish officials have on many occasions opposed any form of the US army’s direct support for the YPG fighters in their battle against the ISIL in Syria.

“I condemn the US army’s supports for the YPG. Our allies and friends in NATO should not engage their forces in the Syrian crisis or wear the batches of the YPG fighters,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in the Kurdish-populated regions South of Turkey.

The AFP also released the photos of the US soldiers wearing the YPG patches in Raqqa battlefields.

“Ankara considers the YPG an offshoot of the PKK who are fighting the Turkish government,” the Turkish president said, adding, “There is no difference among YPG, PKK and the ISIL.”

The Turkish president accused the White House of disloyalty towards Ankara.

In the meantime, a US State Department Spokesperson said on Friday that the United States will continue to work with Kurdish forces of the People’s Protection Units despite Turkey’s concerns.

Mark Toner said on Friday that they will continue to work with the YPG despite of the Turkish government opposition towards Kurdish-US cooperation.

Turkish government officials have criticized US troops for wearing patches of the Kurdish YPG forces. Although the US government sees the YPG as one of the most effective groups in the fight against the ISIL, the Turkish government sees the YPG as a terrorist group connected to the PKK. However, the Syrian Kurds say that the Turkish government has been supporting the ISIL and other terrorist groups since the beginning of the Syrian crisis.

By Fars News Agency

Source Article from http://theiranproject.com/blog/2016/05/29/ankara-washington-gaps-widening-syria/

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