Erdogan said the U.S. had armed the Democratic Union Party, or PYD, which he said is affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK.
The PKK, a pro-Kurdish Turkish party is outlawed in Turkey, and is considered a terrorist group by Turkey, the U.S. and the European Union.
That means, Erdogan said, that the U.S. has helped arm a terrorist organization.
The Democratic Union Party is fighting against ISIL, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant -- which is also a terrorist organization.
"We had said that there are commanders from the PKK in the ranks of PYD fighting in Syria," Erdogan said in a joint press conference in Riga with his Latvian counterpart, Andris Berzins. "We had said that any U.S. aid to this group is going to a terrorist organization."
The U.S. airdropped 27 bundles of weapons, ammunition and medical supplies to the Democratic Union Party on Monday. U.S. officials had notified Turkish officials in advance.
ISIL got some of the weapons, however, as the militant group has shown on its website.
"Some of those weapons were seized by ISIL terrorists," Erdogan said. "But the rest, they also were seized by another terrorist organization, the PYD. Turkey did never lean towards such military aid and the U.S. did that despite Turkey."
Kobani, also known as Ayn al-Arab, is currently under the control of the People’s Protection Units -- the armed wing of the Democratic Union Party.
The Syrian-Turkish border town has been the scene of fierce battles between Kurdish groups and ISIL since mid-September.
The Turkish president asked the U.S. government to recognize the "dilemmas" in Kobani, which is just across the border from Turkey.
"Kobani is not strategic for the U.S.," he said. "It could be strategic for us only. And also, Turkey is currently accommodating all the civilians fleeing from the town. There are no civilians there."
An estimated 1.5 million Syrian refugees, including around 200,000 from Kobani, are living in refugee camps across Turkey.......................http://www.aa.com.tr/en/news/409028--erdogan-us-gave-lethal-aid-to-terrorist-group-in-syria
23/10/14
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Washington does not think the U.S. airdrop of weapons to the Syrian border town of Kobane was wrong, State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf has said, when asked about Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s critical remarks on the issue....
ReplyDeleteErdoğan had said he has been proven right over his objections to the airdrop by U.S.-led coalition forces intended for Democratic Union Party (PYD) forces battling the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Kobane, claiming that some of the supplies ended up in the hands of jihadist militants............http://www.ellanodikis.net/2014/10/us-airdrops-to-kobane-were-not-wrong.html
23/10/14
Refusing cooperation with Syria while launching airstrikes on its territory wrong — Lavrov ...
ReplyDeleteIt is wrong to refuse cooperation with Syria and at the same time declare the right to launch airstrikes on terrorists in its territory in a situation where the Syrian leadership sincerely seeks relevant cooperation, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told TASS in an exclusive interview on Monday.
“It is encouraging that the fight against terrorism is now universally recognised as the most important task in the region,” the minister said. “But specific actions to fulfil this task should be based on international law and with all the interested parties involved.”
“In our view, it is wrong to refuse from cooperation with Syria and declare the right to launch airstrikes on terrorists in its territory when the Syrian leadership is sincerely interested in developing interaction in this matter,” Lavrov said. “So, compliance with international law is highly desirable here,” he added.
http://en.itar-tass.com/world/756737
27/10/14