US warns over Turkish-Kurdish violence

[robert99]

Syria war: US warns over Turkish-Kurdish violence - BBC News
The US says fighting between Turkey, pro-Turkish rebels and Kurdish-aligned forces in northern Syria is "unacceptable" and must stop.

Clashes in places where so-called Islamic State (IS) was not present were a "source of deep concern", the US envoy to the anti-IS coalition tweeted.

Turkish forces have attacked what they say are Kurdish "terrorists" since crossing the border last week.

(Moment of truth folks. Back the Kurds or the Turks?)

 

[robert99]

PressTV-US urges Turkey to stop hitting Kurds
US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter has called on the Turkish government to stop attacking US-backed factions of Kurdish militants in Syria, days after Turkey launched a military incursion into the neighboring country.

“We have called upon Turkey... to stay focused on the fight against Daesh and not to engage Syrian Defense Forces, and we've had a number of contacts over the last several days,” Carter told a press briefing on Monday, mixing up the name of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

The SDF, which is a coalition of Arab and Kurdish forces, has received considerable American support in the form of airstrikes and special operations forces embedded within the group.

(So what happens when dead navy seals start coming home?)

 

[robert99]

http://rudaw.net/english/middleeast/30082016
Turkey did not inform US before launching Syria push
US and Turkish officials say that Ankara unilaterally launched its operation in Syria last Wednesday, without first informing Washington.
US officials cited by the Wall Street Journal said Turkey, a NATO ally, acted unilaterally because it wanted to attack the Syrian Kurdish forces near their northwest border south of Jarablus.
The US was considering -- after an August 20 attack on a Gaziantep wedding celebration left 54 people dead -- a Turkish request to send in 40 US commandos to support the efforts. It also was looking into coordinating Turkish-backed Syrian militiamen and calling in supporting airstrikes. However, the US wanted more assurances that its forces would not be captured or killed by al-Qaeda-linked forces in that area.

While the US wanted more time for Ankara to consider the requests, Turkey went ahead with the operation without telling Washington. US military forces in the region shortly thereafter jumped in to give the Turks air support with drones and warplanes based at Turkey’s Incirlik airbase.

Clashes between the Turkish-backed Syrian fighters and the US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) led Washington to call on both allies to stand down, since it did not want two of its partners in the war against Islamic State (ISIS) to be fighting against each other rather than the militants.

 

[robert99]

Obama, Erdogan meeting announced amid Turkish offensive on Syrian Kurds - France 24
Obama to meet Erdogan on Sunday during G20 meeting in China.