Ankara calls on Washington to cut ties with PYD/PKK in Syria
Turkish FM Çavuşoğlu has made comments on US giving weapons to PYD/PKK, and saying that " We want concrete steps, not words. The US must cut ties with the terrorist group."
- World
- Anadolu Agency & Reuters
- Published Date: 12:00 | 27 January 2018
- Modified Date: 03:05 | 27 January 2018
The United States needs to withdraw from northern Syria's Manbij region immediately, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Saturday.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday said Turkish forces would sweep PYD/PKK from the Syrian border and could push all the way east to the frontier with Iraq, including Manbij - a move which risks a possible confrontation with U.S. forces allied to the YPG.
Speaking to reporters, Çavuşoğlu also said Turkey wanted to see concrete steps by the United States to end its support for the PYD/YPG/PKK terror group.
Ankara said earlier it had been told by U.S. National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster that Washington would not provide the YPG with weapons anymore.
The PKK -- recognized as a terrorist group by the EU, U.S., and Turkey -- has waged a three-decade war against Turkey, taking 40,000 lives in the process. The PYD/PKK and YPG/PKK are its Syrian branches.