They (the United States) remain silent when we repeat (the PYD is a “terrorist” group) and they say “we do not consider them like that” behind our backs, “railed the strong man of the Turkey”.
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The governor of the border province of Kilis, Suleyman Tapsiz, said Turkey had allowed in 12 Syrians who were seriously injured in the Russian and Syrian bombings near the town of Tel Rifaat in northern Syria.
“Are you together with us or are you with the PYD and YPG terror groups?”
Mr Fabius said he did not expect President Barack Obama to change his strategy before leaving office, regardless of what Secretary of State John Kerry told Mr Assad’s main backers.
Turkey, which already hosts 2.6 million Syrian refugees, has tried to keep the latest wave on the Syrian side of the border, in part to pressure Russian Federation to cease its air support for Syrian government forces near the city of Aleppo. “This happens once or twice, and then we’ll open the gates and wish them a safe journey, that’s what I said”, he said on Thursday. “This is what I told them”, Erdogan said.
After the USA said Russian warplanes destroyed two hospitals in the besieged city, Moscow responded by claiming US warplanes bombed Aleppo on February 10, an accusation the Pentagon said was a total “fabrication”.
Ankara regards the Syrian Kurdish PYD group as terrorists, citing their links to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged a three-decade-old insurgency for autonomy in the mainly Kurdish southeast of Turkey.
This comes amid efforts by the Russian government to include Syria’s Kurds in the ongoing Geneva peace talks despite Turkey’s objection. The report didn’t say whether authorities believe the group may be linked to the Islamic State group. USA forces have been working closely with the Syrian Kurdish group the PYD in the battle against Islamic State.
“We have all opened our houses to them, but we are running out of supplies as many buses continue to arrive”. Now, it’s an open question as to whether that support will be threatened by the United States and others backing Kurdish fighters in Syria.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday that the United States’ refusal to label the PYD as terrorists, while applying that label to the PKK was unacceptable.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the artillery strikes are targeting the village of Malkiyeh and the Mannagh air base, which was captured by Kurdish fighters and their allies earlier this week.
“Kurdish fighters have been some of the most successful in going after Daesh (ISIS) inside Syria”.
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“We don t know if the United States is using the Syrian Kurds for short term tactical reasons or in the long term”.
