Meanwhile, Turkish terror police also arrested 250 suspected terrorists – including ISIS members this week.
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Turkish demonstrators put their fists in the air and chant anti-government slogans in Ankara, July 26, 2015.
US State Department spokesman John Kirby disputed suggestions that Washington had condoned Turkey’s strikes on the PKK as a quid pro quo for Ankara’s expanded cooperation against Islamic State.
A Turkish official said Turkey and the US were discussing “the formation of a de-facto safe zone” which would facilitate the return of Syrian refugees from Turkey.
No agreement between Turkey and the U.S. has yet been finalized, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity under regulations.
Turkish officials insisted they did not attack YPG positions in northern Syria, but later did say they intend to carry out an investigation into the claims. It urged Turkey to “halt this aggression and to follow worldwide guidelines”.
The meeting comes a day after the United States and previously reluctant Turkey agreed to work together to drive IS out of northern Syria in a potentially game-changing accord.
The YPG slammed the “Turkish aggression” and demanding they stop attacking Kurdish defensive forces, and instead focus their fire on ISIS forces that are occupying Kurdish territory in the area.
“The fight against ISIL is broader than this, broader than one group’s effort against ISIL”, he said.
ISTANBUL – Turkey’s unexpected move to launch raids against Kurdish rebels at the same time it is cracking down on the Islamic State group risks ending a period of relative calm and stability for the country that has been a boon for the economy.
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation declared its “strong solidarity” with Turkey on Tuesday as ambassadors gathered for a rare emergency meeting about the threat faced by a member.
The anti-ISIS campaign from Turkish grounds may further complicate the situation.
Turkey has long treated the YPG’s political wing, the PYD, as the Syrian branch of the PKK, however, and they have been pushing for action against Kurdish forces in northern Syria for weeks now.
Davutoglu said Turkey would press ahead with military operations against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) until the group disarmed. The YPG also said Turkey had attacked some of the Kurdish militia’s vehicles, The Guardian reports.
‘We don’t want to see Daesh on the Turkish republic’s border, ‘ Davutoglu said, using an Arabic acronym for IS.
Not least, the new crusade draws the United States more deeply in to the disordered Syrian conflict, which the Obama administration had been determined to resist.
In a series of cross-border strikes, Turkey has not only targeted ISIS but also Kurdish fighters affiliated with forces battling IS in Syria and Iraq. The village is east of the border town of Kobani, where the Kurds handed a major defeat to the Islamic State group earlier this year.
Turkey also launched a second night of air strikes on Kurdish insurgent camps in Iraq on Sunday, part of what a senior government official described as a “full-fledged battle against all terrorist organisations”.
“Terrorism in all its forms can never be tolerated or justified; it is right and timely that we hold this meeting today to address the instability on Turkey’s doorstep and NATO’s border”, Stoltenberg added.
“The Syrian Kurds are not a target of the operations. Our operations only target IS in Syria and PKK in Iraq“, he said.
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It said 145 of those held have been detained in the southeastern region of the country around Şanlıurfa province and the city of Suruç, where a suicide bombing killed 32 people last Monday. The aerial attacks on the PKK separatists were the first in four years.
