The United States Calls Turkish Air Attacks In Syria Its Military Safety Camera, Partnering With Ankara'shost
JAKARTA - Turkey's airstrikes in northern Syria threaten the safety of US military personnel, the Defense Department (Pentagon) said, endangering years of progress against ISIS.
The public comment represents the United States' strongest condemnation of Turkey's NATO ally air operations in recent days against Kurdish militias in northern Syria to date.
"The recent airstrikes in Syria directly threaten the safety of US personnel working in Syria with local partners to defeat ISIS and maintain prisoners of more than ten thousand ISIS detainees," Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder said in a statement. November 24.
Ryder said the escalating situation threatens the progress made in the fight against ISIS militants in the region. Nevertheless, he added that the United States acknowledged Turkey's "legitimate security concerns".
"De-escalation is urgently needed to maintain focus on ISIS' defeat mission, ensuring the safety and security of personnel on the ground who are committed to the mission of defeat-ISIS," added Ryder.
The United States has about 900 troops in Syria, mainly in the northeast of the country, working with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), led by Kurdish fighters from the YPG, to fight against the remnants of ISIS.
As previously reported, the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) is a banned terrorist organization in the United States, Turkey, and the European Union. However, Washington's support for its affiliate in Syria, the YPG, has been a major pressure on bilateral relations with Ankara.
The YPG has taken control of large parts of northeastern Syria after Syrian regime leader Bashar Assad withdrew in 2012. The US is partnering with YPG terrorists in northeastern Syria in its fight against the Islamic State terrorist group. On the other hand, Turkey strongly opposes the presence of the YPG in northern Syria.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday Turkey's air operations were only the beginning and would launch ground operations if possible after an increase in retaliatory attacks.
Ankara launched air operations at the end of last week, in retaliation for Istanbul's bomb attacks a week earlier that killed six people, and blamed YPG. No one has claimed responsibility, with PKK and YPG denying involvement.
Separately, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said the army had hit 471 targets in Syria and Iraq since the weekend. His ministry quoted him as saying the 254 militants had been "banped".
Yesterday, the Commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Kurdish Mazloum Abdi told AP as reported November 23, his troops had been preparing for another attack since Turkey took control of the northeast in 2019. That signaled readiness for a new Turkish attack, as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his troops were ready to carry out ground attacks.
"We believe that we have reached a level where we can thwart any new attacks," Abdi said, citing The National News.
It is known, this is not the first time Turkish operations in northern Syria have threatened US personnel. In 2019, American troops in the area received artillery fire from Turkey's position when Turkey launched an attack on US allied Kurdish militias at the time.