Ankara ‘shocked’ by US comments putting YPG and Turkey in same basket

Turkey will not seek permission to fight against "any terrorist organizations"...


Turkey is "shocked" by recent remarks from the US State Department that put Ankara in the same basket as Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgiç said on Monday.

Bilgiç was referring to comments from US State Department spokesman John Kirby, who has urged both Turkey and the Syrian Kurds to focus on tackling a "common threat" of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants who control large parts of Syria.

Washington's support of the YPG has been a sticking point for Ankara, which sees the group as terrorists affiliated to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

Bilgiç also said Turkey will not seek permission to fight against "any terrorist organizations", and conveyed its protest of Kirby's comments to US authorities.
 [todayszaman.com - Reuters]
15/2/16
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