Turkey says U.S. support for Syrian Kurdish YPG not befitting of alliance

The United States regards the YPG as a valuable partner in the fight against Islamic State militants in northern Syria.

By: Reuters
Ankara | June 1, 2017 12:34 AM IST

2 min read

Syrian Kurdistan, Syria Kurdish federal region, Kurdish autonomous region, Syria Kurds, Kurdish Syria, Kurdish militants, PYD, YPG militants, Syria war, Middle East news

In this photo released on May 20, 2015, provided by the Kurdish fighters of the People's Protection Units (YPG), which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, Kurdish fighters of the YPG, flash victory signs as they sit on their pickup on their way to battle against the Islamic State, near Kezwan mountain, northeast Syria. (Source: AP)

Turkey’s National Security Council (MGK) said on Wednesday that the U.S. government’s decision to arm the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia in Syria was “not befitting of an alliance”. “It has been stressed that the policy of supporting the PKK/PYD-YPG terrorist organisation, acting under the guise of the Syrian Democratic Forces, by disregarding Turkey’s expectation is not befitting of a friendship and alliance,” the MGK said in a statement.

The United States said on Tuesday it started distributing arms to Syrian Kurdish militia battling to help retake the Syrian city of Raqqa from Islamic State, moving ahead with a war plan that has angered NATO ally Turkey.

Turkey views the YPG as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has fought a three-decade insurgency in Turkey and is considered a terrorist group by the United States, Turkey and European Union.

The United States regards the YPG as a valuable partner in the fight against Islamic State militants in northern Syria.

From the homepage