A US military spokesman for the anti-ISIS coalition told PRI that its forces were not involved in operations against Kurdish forces.
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After a weekend of Turkish clashes with YPG-allied forces, Washington has expressed alarm and urged both sides to stop fighting each other and concentrate on combatting Daesh.
The fighting between Turkey’s military and the Kurdish forces has raised concern in the United States that it could detract them from the battle against the Islamic State group and frustrate anti-IS efforts by the USA -led coalition.
However, the Turkish offensive has so far focused on forces allied to the Kurdish-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a coalition that includes the YPG, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Meanwhile, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin blamed Kurdish-led forces for “shamelessly using the war in Syria to create a de-facto terrorist state in Syria”, and added, “Turkey will not allow that”.
Gen. Joseph Votel, the commander of U.S. Central Command, told reporters at the Pentagon on Tuesday that he is working to prevent such clashes.
Kurdish-backed militias said they had agreed to the truce.
But even if the SDF willingly withdraws east of the river – or is forced to do so militarily – the renewed conflict between rebels and Kurdish forces may not be over.
Kurds have carved out a semi-autonomous region in Syria s north and northeast, with their People s Protection Units (YPG) becoming a key partner of the US-led coalition fighting IS.
Reuters points out that the battles in northern Syria continue.
The US defence official told AFP in Washington that Turkish and US-backed Kurdish forces in northern Syria had reached a “loose agreement” to stop fighting each other – a claim confirmed by a spokesman for the pro-Kurdish forces.
“We don’t want to fight anybody except [Syrian president Bashar] Al Assad and ISIL”. Bilgic pointedly said it was “unacceptable” the YPG had failed to live up to USA assurances on the withdrawal.
On 24 August, Turkish forces and sections of the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) forced Isis out of the Syrian city of Jarablus.
“We’ve been talking to [Free Syrian Army] factions operating on the ground”, he said. “But this support makes it faster”.
Ankara has frequently voiced its concern over the YPG’s activity along the Turkish border and insists that the YPG forces should not pass to the west of the Euphrates River.
Also on Monday, Turkey warned it would carry out more strikes on the US-backed YPG in Syria if it fails to retreat from the border area.
Ankara fears the emergence of an autonomous Kurdish region in Syria would bolster the rebel Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) across the border in southeastern Turkey.
Operations against militants in the area were continuing, the Turkish military said in a statement, without specifying who had fired on the tank.
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Global pressure could also potentially limit Turkey’s involvement and rebel gains.
