UPDATES WITH MORE QUOTES FROM BEKIR BOZDAG AND BACKGROUND
By Diyar Guldogan
ANKARA (AA) – The U.S. is “playing with fire” with its PKK/PYD-led army plan in Syria, Turkish deputy prime minister said on Monday.
“Letting the PYD/YPG — PKK's branch in Syria — by the U.S. to establish a so-called terror army for creating a terror corridor in the region on the pretext of combating Daesh, is not a fight against Daesh and terrorist organizations, rather a support to terrorism and terrorist organizations, ” Bekir Bozdag wrote on his Twitter account.
His remarks came after an American military official said that the U.S.-led international coalition against Daesh will establish a 30,000-strong new border security force with the SDF — the U.S.-backed group that is largely controlled and manned by the PKK/PYD terrorist organization in Syria.
“The coalition is working jointly with the SDF to establish and train the new Syrian Border Security Force (BSF), ” Ryan Dillon, spokesman for the US-led coalition, officially known as Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) said in a written statement sent to Anadolu Agency.
The Turkish deputy prime minister said the U.S.' support for PKK/PYD in Syria “on the ground ” to fight Daesh is not compatible with the strategic partnership.
“Turkey will not hesitate to take necessary measures … to protect the security of the country and region against this provocative attempt that threatens the safety of our country and the region, ” he added.
Turkey has long protested U.S. support for the PKK/PYD, the Syrian offshoot of the PKK terrorist organization, and its military wing YPG, while Washington sees it as a “reliable ally ” in its fight against Daesh in Syria.
Listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU, the PKK has waged a terror campaign against Turkey for more than 30 years, leading to the deaths of more than 40,000 security forces and civilians — including more than 1,200 since July 2015 alone, when it resumed its armed campaign against the Turkish state following a fragile cease-fire.
