Turkey says US not insisting on Kurdish purpose in Raqqa operation
A member constant to a Islamic State waves an IS flag. PHOTO: REUTERS
ANKARA: Turkey’s counterclaim apportion pronounced on Thursday a new US administration has a some-more stretchable proceed to Syria and is not insisting on a Kurdish YPG company being concerned in a operation to expostulate Islamic State from a Raqqa stronghold.
US support for a Syrian Democratic Forces, an fondness dominated by a YPG, has caused tensions with NATO fan Turkey, that views a Kurdish company as an prolongation of militants fighting on a possess soil.
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“If we wish a Raqqa operation to be successful, afterwards it should be carried out with Arab army in a segment and not a YPG,” Turkish Defence Minister Fikri Isik told reporters in Brussels.
“The new US administration has a opposite proceed to a issue. They are not insisting anymore that a operation should really be carried out with a YPG. They haven’t nonetheless done adult their minds,” he pronounced in comments promote live.
The SDF alliance, that includes Arab and other groups in Syria’s north as good as a YPG, has taken domain along a Syria-Turkey limit as they pull behind Islamic State.
With atmosphere strikes and special belligerent army from a US-led coalition, a SDF is in a center of a multi-phased operation to confine Raqqa, Islamic State’s bottom of operations in Syria.
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A pivotal preference for a Trump administration will be either to yield weapons to a YPG notwithstanding Turkish objections. The US says weapons supposing to a SDF are so distant singular to a Arab elements.
“We are operative with a US on a withdrawal of a YPG from Manbij by a time a al-Bab operation is completed,” Isik said, referring to a city now underneath SDF control.
Isik combined that Turkey’s priority after al-Bab would be advancing towards Manbij and Raqqa. He also pronounced US arch of staff Joseph Dunford would revisit Turkey on Friday.
Article source: https://tribune.com.pk/story/1329112/turkey-says-us-not-insisting-kurdish-role-raqqa-operation/