Turkey calls on US to support it fully against Syrian Kurdish YPG
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said on Saturday that his country wants full and unconditional support from the United States when it comes to its fight against the Syrian Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG).
"The only thing we expect from our US ally is to support Turkey with no ifs and buts," the Turkish Prime Minister told a news conference according to Reuters.
"If 28 Turkish lives have been claimed through a terrorist attack we can only expect them to say any threat against Turkey is a threat against them," he added.
Turkey blames the YPG, and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), for the car-bombing in Ankara on Wednesday which left 28 dead. The US has said it can neither affirm nor deny these claims.
Turkey has also been seeking to halt a YPG advance against armed opposition groups in northwestern Syria by striking their positions with artillery.
However while the US says it sympathizes with Turkey's concerns it has been giving air support to the YPG since that group has proven to be an indispensable ally on the ground in Syria for the US-led air campaign against Islamic State (ISIS). Turkey insists that the US should apply the terrorist label to the YPG as it has done with the PKK for years.
Something Washington is not willing to do as it finds itself coming under increased pressure to placate its ally in Ankara while preserving its ad-hoc counter-ISIS alliance with the YPG.
"The only thing we expect from our US ally is to support Turkey with no ifs and buts," the Turkish Prime Minister told a news conference according to Reuters.
"If 28 Turkish lives have been claimed through a terrorist attack we can only expect them to say any threat against Turkey is a threat against them," he added.
Turkey blames the YPG, and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), for the car-bombing in Ankara on Wednesday which left 28 dead. The US has said it can neither affirm nor deny these claims.
Turkey has also been seeking to halt a YPG advance against armed opposition groups in northwestern Syria by striking their positions with artillery.
However while the US says it sympathizes with Turkey's concerns it has been giving air support to the YPG since that group has proven to be an indispensable ally on the ground in Syria for the US-led air campaign against Islamic State (ISIS). Turkey insists that the US should apply the terrorist label to the YPG as it has done with the PKK for years.
Something Washington is not willing to do as it finds itself coming under increased pressure to placate its ally in Ankara while preserving its ad-hoc counter-ISIS alliance with the YPG.