U.S. says clashes between Turkish forces and opposition in Syria 'unacceptable'
Source: Reuters
The United States on Monday criticised clashes between Turkish forces and some opposition groups in northern Syria as "unacceptable" and called on all armed actors in the fighting to stand down and focus on the fight against Islamic State.
"We want to make clear that we find these clashes - in areas where ISIL is not located - unacceptable and a source of deep concern," Brett McGurk, the special presidential envoy for the coalition to counter Islamic State, said on his official Twitter account, citing a defense department statement.
"We call on all armed actors to stand down... the U.S. is actively engaged to facilitate such deconfliction and unity of focus on ISIL, which remains a lethal and common threat."
Turkey and its Syrian rebel allies seized territory controlled by Kurdish-aligned forces on Sunday, the fifth day of a cross-border campaign that a monitoring group said had killed at least 35 villagers. Turkish officials say their goal in Syria is to drive out Islamic State but also to ensure Kurdish militia fighters do not expand the territory they already control along Turkey's border.
Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-turkey-usa-idUSKCN1140SE
True Dough
(17,306 posts)and he's making it difficult for NATO allies or the U.N. not to sanction him with his various power grabs. Something is going to have to be done if he can't contain himself, and it looks more and more like he cannot.
FairWinds
(1,717 posts)Turkey has violently repressed the Kurds for the better part of a century.
Until very recently it was illegal to speak or write the Kurdish language in Turkey.
The Turks seem to have trouble getting along with other cultures - Kurds, Greeks,
Armenians, and most other people in that region.
And there are lots of Kurds in Turkey - as many as 20 million.
Turkey has actually been a de facto ally of ISIS against the Kurds - as is now apparent.
FairWinds
(1,717 posts)Here is his take on the situation.
http://www.juancole.com/2016/08/americas-pentagons-militias.html