In the second week of Ankara Operation Olive Branch in Afrin, Ankara called on Washington to immediately remove People's Protection Units (YPG) from Syrian town of Manbij to the east of Euphrates, underestimating new US pledges to stop arming the Kurdish militias.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Turkey wanted to see concrete steps by the United States to end its support for the Syrian Kurdish YPG. The United States needs to withdraw from northern Syria’s Manbij region immediately.
“The US should demonstrate these words concretely because there is a crisis of confidence. They have to make them drop their weapons completely. They should take back the weapons they gave,” he added.
US National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster told Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, in a telephone call that the United States would no longer provide weapons to the YPG.
Sources added that it was emphasized that Turkey’s legitimate security concerns must be paid attention to. It was also agreed that close coordination would be carried out in order to avoid misunderstandings.
In the same context, Erdogan said that ISIS is still being used as a pretext to amass arms in Syria, although the group has totally lost its fighting power, in a hint on the US support to the YPG.
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said that Operation Olive Branch will continue until ridding of terrorism.
He added that Turkey will resume its operations against terrorist organizations until it ensures the security of its border and the safety of souls and properties of citizens.
The Turkish premier also recalled the announcement by the US of establishing a 30,000-strong new border security force on the Turkish southern border.
“This is clear hostility,” he commented.
