US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar on Wednesday of his «strong opposition» to a Turkish operation in Syria during a telephone conversation.
Austin expressed «concern» about escalating tensions in northern Syria and Turkey, including recent airstrikes, «some of which have directly threatened US personnel working with local partners in Syria.» to defeat IS,» the Islamic State terrorist group, according to a Pentagon statement.
The head of US Defense urged a de-escalation and offered his condolences for those who died on November 13 in an attack in Istanbul and in other attacks in southern Turkey.
Ankara ha culpado del atentado en Estambul, que causó seis muertos, a la milicia kurdo-siria Unidades de Protección del Pueblo (YPG) y al Partido de los Trabajadores del Kurdistán (PKK), la guerrilla kurdo-turca, consideradas terroristas por Turquía y que han negado cualquier participación en el ataque.
The Turkish government has responded to the bombing attack on Kurdish positions in Iraq and Syria, and has renewed the warning it has been making for months to launch a new ground military operation on Syrian territory.
On Wednesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Çavusoglu insisted that the United States must end its support for the YPG, Washington’s ally in the fight against IS.
