U.S. tension with Turkey escalates over aid
Relations with Ankara plunge as American support for ISIS-fighting Kurds continues
Published: 10 hours ago
WASHINGTON – The Pentagon is declining demands from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to stop helping the Syrian Kurds, who are fighting the Islamic State, because he views them as terrorists, according to a new report from Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin.
And that has created a further wedge between the U.S. and Turkey, an ally which also belongs to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
In response to G2Bulletin, Pentagon spokesman U.S. Navy Capt. Jeff Davis attempted to put a political gloss on the relationship, saying Turkey is a vital member of the U.S. anti-ISIS coalition, although he could not specify just what Turkey is doing to fight ISIS.
Instead, much of Turkey’s military actions inside Syria have been aimed at the Syrian Kurds, specifically the PYG, or the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units, which are closely allied with the Kurdish Workers Party, or PKK.
The PKK has been engaging in increased conflict in recent months inside Turkey following Erdogan’s rejection of a compromise between the government and the PKK that had been negotiated over a two-year period.
“I can tell you that Turkey is a NATO ally, a partner in the fight against ISIS, an important partner in the fight against ISIS, and that’s not going to change,” Davis told G2Bulletin. “I think what’s important to remember here is – No. 1 – what we’re doing in Syria in terms of forces on the ground vis-à-vis ISIS is being done through the Syrian-Arab coalition and they are part of a broader group that includes ethnic Kurds.”
For the rest of this report, and others, please go to Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin.
“But two, we don’t have any indication that anything we’ve provided to them (the Kurds) has made its way back to the PKK or other terrorist groups,” Davis said. “And three, what we’re doing is done in a performance-based system. What we provide to the Syrian-Arab coalition on the ground is done as part of very specific planned operations. We monitor it and watch how those operations go and reassess for the next mission.
“Every batch of goods they get is tailored for the next specific objective and we’re watching to see how it’s used on a performance basis,” he said.
Davis emphasized that the U.S. objective is focused on supporting the groups that are fighting ISIS “and this is something where we aren’t just dumping arms willy-nilly on these groups. We are monitoring and tailoring these packages insuring they are used properly.”
Asked if the Turks are satisfied with this focused providing of military support, especially to the Kurds, Davis added, “You’ll have to ask the Turks.”
While Turkey said it would join the U.S. in fighting ISIS, much of its actions to date have been to target Kurds, whom Erdogan perceives as a threat, inside Syria and to try to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who is backed by Russia and Iran.
Also, Turkey has threatened to send military forces into Syria, a move Saudi Arabia also has considered. The Saudis said they are prepared to dispatch 150,000 soldiers even though regional experts doubt that, since Riyadh has been bogged down for two years in Yemen which borders the Saudi kingdom.
Read more at
http://www.wnd.com/2016/02/u-s-tension-with-turkey-escalates-over-aid/#4HKyFZfcT7wGobJI.99
