Turks Threaten New American Backed Kurdish Enclave Inside Syria

The MGK, chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, also warned the United States and Russia over arming Kurdish fighters in Syria.

Turkish media reports said that the formation of Tal Abyad, or Gire Spi, as a new autonomous Kurdish region along the Turkish border was the central focus of the convention.

The council expressed concern over what it said was “a campaign to change the demographic make-up of northern Syria,” according to a statement issued after the meeting.

The council stressed that the PYD must be recognized as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and European Union.

“The need to register the extensions of the separatist terrorist organization in Syria within the scope of terror organizations in the international field was underlined,” the statement said.

The meeting was also attended by Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, Chief of General Staff Gen. Necdet Özel and the country’s spy master, Hakan Fidan.

The council met after representatives of ethnic communities in the Kurdish-controlled city of Tal Abyad in Syria — or Gire Spi in Kurdish — met Wednesday to declare an autonomous region and joint administration.The full control of Gire Spi is significant for the PYD, linking its predominantly Kurdish cantons in northern Syrian.

Mohammed Salih, the PYD head, is reportedly planning to connect the area between Kobani and Cizre by uniting the three Kurdish cantons.

The takeover of the town of Gire Spi by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) in early June marked the biggest setback yet for ISIS and put even more pressure on ISIS’ self-declared capital in Raqqa by depriving the group of a direct route for bringing in foreign fighters and supplies.

The meeting also warned the US and Russian against arming the People’s Protection Units (YPG), the PYD’s armed wing.

In a major boost for forces fighting ISIS extremists in Syria,  the United States on Monday began airdropping pallets of weapons and ammunition to the PYD and allied Arab forces in northern Syria.

That has stirred controversy in Turkey, which opposes arms to the PYD and YPG, because of their links to the PKK.Following the US airdrops, Turkey’s prime minister warned that his country will target Kurdish forces in Syria if they are found to be supplying weapons received from the United States to the PKK.