U.S.-led coalition forces returned fire after being shot at by Turkish-led militia in Syria: Colonel Ryan Dillon


nsnbc : U.S.-led coalition forces returned fire after being repeatedly shot at near Manbij in northern Syria, where they are patrolling near areas held by Turkish-led militias, Colonel Ryan Dillon, spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS told reporters on Tuesday.

US troops_Manbij_Syria_Aug 2017_(archives)“Our forces did receive fire and return fire and then moved to a secure location,” he told the Reuters news agency by phone. The coalition has told Turkey to tell the rebels it backs there that firing on U.S.-led coalition forces “is not acceptable”, Dillon said.

“Our overt patrols that have been conducting patrols in that area to keep tensions down received fire multiple times over the course of the last two weeks,” Dillon said. “We let our counterparts in Turkey know this and we continue to conduct these patrols but are always prepared and ready to defend ourselves in that area.”

The United States “partners” with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Syria. The main component of the SDF are the Syrian – Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) and the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) who have some 60,000 troops.

Turkey, backing mainly the so-called Free Syrian Army and a consortium of Islamist and Turkmen militia including groups linked to Syria’s Al-Qaeda Franchise Jabhat Al-Nusra and Faylaq al-Sham perceived the PYD – YPG/YPJ as terrorist organization allied and on par with Turkey’s outlawed Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK).

Neither Turkey nor the United States are in Syria with permission from the legal government of the Syrian Arab Republic in Damascus. Non of them is in Syria on the basis of an unequivocal UN Security Council resolution.

The United States constructs its legality for operations in Syria based on UNSC resolution 2249 and UN Charter Article 51 which call for an international coalition against ISIS in Iraq and guarantee the right to self-defense. The argument is that Syria is unwilling or incapable to combat ISIS in Syria and that ISIS poses an international threat.

Critics stress that this interpretations is setting a dangerous precedent that could result in any country where international terrorist organizations operate becoming subject to intervention by any other state because the situation constitutes an international threat that justifies self-defense. Ironic then, that militia backed by NATO member Turkey now are slugging it out with U.S. troops in northern Syria.

CH/L – nsnbc 31.08.2017



Source Article from https://nsnbc.me/2017/08/31/u-s-led-coalition-forces-returned-fire-after-being-shot-at-by-turkish-led-militia-in-syria-colonel-ryan-dillon/

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