US-backed Kurdish forces in northern Syria have “all” gone east of the Euphrates River, a United States defense official said Monday, a move Washington hopes will reduce conflict between two partner forces.
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During one of the attacks, a Turkish soldier was killed and three others injured on Saturday.
Turkey, which is wrestling with Kurdish insurgents within its border – blamed the attack on Kurdish forces.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Turkey will press ahead with its military operation in Syria until the Islamic State (IS) extremist group and the Kurdish Syrian fighters “cease to be threats for our citizens”.
The militants fled the town without putting up a fight.
“The United States was not involved in these activities, they were not coordinated with U.S. forces, and we do not support them”, McGurk wrote on Twitter, speaking on behalf of the U.S. Department of Defense.
Over the weekend, Turkey launched airstrikes against the Kurdish People’s Protection Units, or YPG.
Chief YPG spokesman Redur Xelil told Reuters that Turkish armored vehicles were patrolling the area and opened fire on the YPG fighters between the Kurdish-controlled cities of Qamishli and Amouda in Syria’s northern Hasaka province. One video appears to show members of the Kurdish group captured and humiliated by rebel fighters. It was unclear whether the Turks and the monitoring group were referring to the same incident.
This year, more than 20 people have died in Kilis, with the mortar shells fired from ISIS-held territory.
“The continued support of France, USA, Britain, Saudi Arabia and Qatar to the Turkish regime is a clear support to terrorism, not only in Syria but in all world countries”, the Ministry said.
Over the weekend, Turkish forces also crossed over the border into the town of Kobane, the town which made headlines in early 2015 after it was recaptured from IS by the YPG with United States air support.
Turkey is determined to wipe out the Kurdish YPG militia who they fear will carve out their own state in Syria.
“The YPG has to immediately cross east of the Euphrates River as they promised the United States and as they announced they would”, Cavusoglu said. What is clear, though, is that its SDF allies have not.
The Pentagon has now suggested that Kurdish fighters have largely obeyed the request to withdraw, but fighting has nevertheless erupted west of the river, drawing anger from Washington. The operation against ISIS in Jarabulus was successful.
The Observatory also reported clashes between rebels and IS fighters on the western edge of Jarablus.
The SDF had recently liberated the important city of Manbij from ISIS.
Turkey pressed ahead with its offensive, seemingly bent on creating a de facto “safe zone” free of IS and the Kurds near its border. Its initial goal was to establish an independent Kurdish state, but it later demanded autonomy within Turkey.
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Turkish-backed forces say they seized a string of villages south of Syria’s Jarablus in a region controlled by groups aligned to the US – and Kurdish-backed SDF.
