ANTALYA, Turkey: Turkey yesterday accused its North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ally the United States of “unacceptable” behavior after USA commandos in Syria were pictured assisting a Kurdish militia that is branded a terror group by Ankara and even wearing their insignia.
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The People’s Protection Units (YPG) confirmed that soldiers seen wearing the militia’s insignia patches in pictures taken by an AFP news agency photographer were USA special forces fighting alongside guerillas battling Islamic State (Isis).
Aware that the USA would be highly displeased by a cross-border ground operation against the PKK, Turkey has so far had to content itself with just airstrikes on the group in northern Iraq.
Turkey’s foreign minister shot back: “In that case, we would recommend they use the patches of Daesh, al-Nusra and al-Qaida when they go to other parts of Syria and of Boko Haram when they go to Africa”. What had been fifty American troops on the ground expanded to three hundred beginning last month.
“We are looking at that very carefully”, Capt Davis said of Turkey’s offer, acknowledging the Manbji corridor “is the area where foreign fighters have flowed in … with impunity” into Syria.
“We’ve made the correction, so everybody’s moving on”, said Col Warren.
An Australian man has reportedly been killed while fighting against Islamic State in Syria.
Syria Democratic Forces fighters look through a scope and a pair of binoculars on the outskirts of al-Shadadi town, in the Hasaka countryside, Syria.
The Turkish minister said that the joint US-Turkey military action could oust ISIS from Syria.
On Thursday, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said US special forces have in the past “worn insignias and other identifying marks with some of their partner forces”. Both Turkey and the USA have labeled the PKK as a terrorist organization.
Warren said the order to take off the patches came directly from the CJTF commander, Army Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland. Reports said the USA have provided military assistance including air support and military advisors to SDF in launching the operation. The symbolism gets to the broader problem of the United States in effect subordinating itself to the goals and interests of some of the parties to local conflicts.
Yet Turkish cooperation is critical for the US-led fight against IS, with coalition war planes using the southern Turkish base of Incirlik as a hub for attacks on the group.
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The American fighter says that his being in the warzone is a way to show to the Kurds that the world cares about their struggle against the terrorists.
