Erdogan Urges US to 'Immediately' Reverse Decision on Arming Syrian Kurds

Washington regards the Syrian Kurdish fighters as key partners in the fight against Islamic State militants, but Turkey considers the group a threat to its security because of its links to outlawed Kurdish rebels.

In a surprise announcement, the Pentagon said Trump had authorised the arming of Kurdish fighters within the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) "to ensure a clear victory over ISIS in Raqa". The fighters, which are Kurdish-led but also include some Arab fighters, said they expelled the extremists from the Tabqa Dam and a nearby town, also called Tabqa.

While Washington's announcement on Tuesday was the first time the U.S. said it would give weapons to the YPG, Kurdish fighters in Syria have previously been spotted with American equipment. But Ankara sees the YPG as a terrorist organization threatening Turkish sovereignty.

He said the weapons being delivered were small arms, mortars, heavy machine guns and shoulder-fired weapons to stop the Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (VBIEDS), or auto bombs, that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria has used to break up assaults.

Answering journalists' questions in Ankara May 10, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said, "The YPG and the PKK are the same, there is no difference".

Ankara views the YPG as one and the same as the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in Turkey, which the USA also designates a terrorist group.

"Weapons given to the YPG end up in the hands of the PKK".

According to a senior United States administration official, Interpol has identified 14,000 foreign fighters it knows have travelled to Syria and are still alive.

Deputy Prime Minister Nurettin Canikli echoed this sentiment, calling the move "unacceptable".

"There will be a lot of complications in bilateral ties", with implications for security cooperation and regional policies between Turkey and the United States, he said, adding, "Both countries will be in crisis-management mode".

Earlier this month, Sheikh Ali Daamoush, a senior Hezbollah official, warned the US against "trying to regain a presence in the region" via direct intervention in Syria and Iraq, and setting up bases there. Turkey, the European Union, and the United States all consider the PKK a terrorist group.

"We do not envision (that) a long-term YPG presence and governance in the city is acceptable or consistent with the wishes of the local population", she said.

Equipment provided to the SDF would be limited, specific to a mission and provided "incrementally as objectives are reached" White said.

"We have very open discussions about options and we will work together, we will work out any of the concerns", he said. "I'm not concerned at all about the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation alliance and the relations between our nations", he said. "It is not always tidy, but we work out the issues", he said.

Cavusoglu said the U.S. was aware of its stance and that the issues would be discussed by President Tayyip Erdogan when he meets Trump in Washington next week.

Erdogan has repeatedly castigated Washington for its support of the YPG.

Washington's support for the YPG began under the Obama administration and has driven a wedge between the USA and Turkey, which often coordinate their military actions in Syria.

The YPG is fighting ISIS in Syrian under the umbrella of a 50,000 person-strong USA -backed cohort of militant groups known as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), made up also of Arab and Turkmen forces.

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The YPG and its political arm, the Democratic Union Party (PYD), denies any direct links with the PKK, which is waging an insurgency in Turkey for Kurdish autonomy.

Meanwhile, Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isik called the United States decision to arm the YPG "a crisis in its own right", and claimed that the operation to liberate Raqqa would go more smoothly if the YPG were withdrawn and the Turkey-backed Free Syrian Army units took charge of defeating IS. We hope the USA administration will put a stop to this wrong and turn back away from it.

Canikli said Turkey would take the diplomatic initiative to convince Washington "to do what friendship requires".

"You cannot be in the same sack with terror organizations".