Turkey Issues Ultimatum to US and Russia: “Stop Helping Kurds Fight ISIS

…from  the Guardian UK

Ahmet Davutoğlu says Turkey cannot accept ‘cooperation with terrorist organisations’ as ambassadors summoned over backing for groups fighting Isis. He said there was an organic bond between the Kurdistan Workers’ party, which has waged an insurgency against Turkey, and the Democratic Union party, the main Kurdish group in Syria.

The Turkish prime minister warned the US and Russia against “unacceptable” military and political support for Syrian Kurdish forces fighting Islamic State in Syria.

Turkey earlier summoned the US and Russian envoys over the supply of arms and support for the Syrian Kurdish forces in their battle with Isis. Davutoğlu said in televised comments: “We have a clear position. That position has been conveyed to the United States and the Russian Federation. Turkey cannot accept any cooperation with terrorist organisations which have waged war against it.”

A Turkish foreign ministry official said the US and Russian ambassadors were called to the ministry on Tuesday “to convey Turkey’s views” about the Democratic Union party (PYD), the main Kurdish group in Syria. “Necessary warnings were issued,” the official added. Turkey labels the PYD as the Syrian offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ party (PKK) which has waged a 30-year insurgency.

US-led coalition forces have parachuted in ammunition to anti-Isis rebels in northern Syria, stepping up their backing for groups battling jihadis. The move follows the Pentagon’s announcement last week that it would halt its much-criticised programme to train moderate rebels and instead focus efforts on equipping pre-screened rebel leaders from the groups actively fighting Isis.

Russia is intervening in Syria with bombing raids in support of the regime of the president, Bashar al-Assad. A top Russian official held talks last week with the PYD leader, Salih Muslim, to discuss the fight against Isis.

The PYD’s Kurdish fighters control large parts of northern Syria on the Turkish border, where they have been engaged in bitter fighting with Isis for months. Turkey is waging a two-pronged “war on terror” against Isis and the PKK, but airstrikes have so far overwhelmingly focused on the bases of the Kurdish militants in northern Iraq.

Davutoğlu said on Wednesday that there was an “organic bond” between the PKK and the PYD. “We know that some of those who fled from [Turkish] operations against the PKK in northern Iraq joined the ranks of the PYD in Syria. We have a clear stance against terrorist organisations which waged a war against Turkey. We have the same attitude against their affiliates,” Davutoğlu said.

He warned the US and other allies against any cooperation with the PYD. “Just as the United States and other friendly allies fight against al-Qaida linked groups, Turkey is determined to fight against the PKK and its affiliates.”

The prime minister said nobody could guarantee that the ammunitions provided for Syrian Kurdish groups would not end up in Turkey. “We will never allow a weapons stockpile in Syria to be inserted into Turkey,” he added.

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