Turkish Foreign Minister: US And Russia Bear Responsibility In YPG Terrorist Attack

JAKARTA - The United States and Russia were partly responsible for the recent attacks carried out by the Syrian branch of the PKK terrorist group, the YPG, in northern Syria, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Avuşoğlu said Wednesday, adding the two countries did not keep their promises.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Nicaraguan Foreign Minister Denis Moncada Colindres in the capital Ankara, Avuşoğlu reiterated Turkey will do what is necessary to eliminate terrorists from northern Syria, referring to the YPG, which has repeatedly targeted Turkish troops in the region.

"Russia and the United States are also responsible for the YPG/PKK attacks in Turkey," he explained, adding that the two countries did not keep their promise to ensure the YPG withdraws from the Syrian border region, citing the Daily Sabah of October 13.

The Turkish Foreign Minister also said that although the United States condemned the YPG attack, Washington continued to provide weapons to terrorists.

The US late Tuesday offered its condolences to the families of the Turkish police officers killed in Syria by the US-backed YPG. He also condemned the YPG's recent cross-border shelling of Turkey.

In a Twitter message, the US Embassy in Ankara said: "The US Embassy extends its condolences to the families of the Turkish National Police officers who died in Syria. We condemn the cross-border attack on our NATO ally Turkey in Karkamış. #WeAreNATO #Stronger Together."

Later that same day, the US State Department also condemned the cross-border attack from Syria against Turkey.

"We condemn the cross-border attack on our NATO ally Turkey. We extend our condolences to the families of the Turkish national police officers who died in Syria," State Department spokesman Ned Price said at a news conference.

"We underscore the importance of maintaining cease-fire lines and stopping cross-border attacks," Price said.

"It is very important for all parties to maintain and respect the ceasefire zone in order to enhance stability in Syria and work towards a political solution to the conflict," he added.

As previously reported, two Turkish police officers were killed and two others injured in a YPG attack in Azaz, northern Syria. YPG/PKK terrorists attacked armored vehicles with guided missiles in the area of Operation Euphrates Shield, Turkey's Interior Ministry said, adding the attack was launched from the Tal Rifaat region.

Separately, ammunition shells fired across the border from Syria's Jarablus caused explosions at two separate locations in the Karkamış district of southern Gaziantep province, the governor's office said. A third shell landed in Jarablus, he said, adding that it was believed to have been launched from an area controlled by the YPG.

Azaz and Jarablus have been under the control of the Turkish-backed opposition group since Ankara's first operation into Syria in 2016. The operation aimed to drive Daesh or ISIS and YPG terrorists from their border with the country.

Ankara has launched two other cross-border operations in Syria against the YPG, one of which targeted the Afrin region. Meanwhile, a car bomb also killed four people and injured six others in Afrin Monday, according to local sources.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Monday Turkey was determined to eliminate the threat emanating from northern Syria, adding that the YPG killing two Turkish police officers in a terrorist attack was the 'final straw'.

"We have no patience left regarding some areas in Syria that could potentially be used for attacks against our country," President Erdogan said at a press conference after a Cabinet meeting.

"We are determined to eliminate the threat emanating from here either with forces active there or on our own. The latest attack on our police and harassment targeting our land is the final blow," he added.

To note, the PKK is recognized as a terrorist organization by the United States, Turkey and the European Union, and Washington's support for its affiliate in Syria has been a major strain in bilateral relations with Ankara. The US primarily partners with the YPG in northeastern Syria in its fight against the Daesh terrorist group, but Turkey strongly opposes the YPG's presence in northern Syria.