Washington on Monday maintained its support for Türkiye’s right to self-defense against terrorism and still stressed the need for de-escalation in Syria.
“Türkiye continues to fall victim to terrorist attacks, whether it’s near that border or elsewhere in the country and they have a right to defend themselves and their citizens against these attacks,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters at a briefing.
Türkiye launched an aerial offensive against the PKK terrorist group's Syrian wing YPG in retaliation for a terrorist attack that left six dead and 81 injured in Istanbul on Nov. 13 for which Ankara blamed the terrorist groups. The PKK/YPG responded with a series of rocket attacks on Türkiye’s southeastern region, killing two more and injuring 14 others. The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) have been pressing ahead with uninterrupted air raids as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hinted at a ground operation that would start “at the most convenient time.”
Kirby on Monday was asked whether Washington was approving Erdoğan’s potential Syria operation with the said support.
“Türkiye has suffered terrorist attacks but we don’t want to see actions, particularly inside Syria, that are going to lead to the potential for more casualties, more loss of innocent life, and any diminution from our efforts, a distraction away from our efforts, because we have troops in Syria, to go after ISIS,” Kirby replied, using the alternative acronym for the terrorist organization Daesh.
"We also don't want to see the actions inside Syria by Türkiye or anyone else that could put American lives at risk because there are Americans on the ground in there helping the SDF," he added.
Kirby was referring to the U.S.' principal partner in Syria, which is led by the YPG. The YPG is the Syrian affiliate of the PKK and a designated terrorist organization in the U.S. and Türkiye.
U.S. support for the YPG has long strained bilateral relations between Ankara and Washington.
The Pentagon last Wednesday expressed concern over Türkiye's airstrikes in northern Syria, saying they posed a threat to U.S. personnel and harmed the fight against Daesh.
"Recent airstrikes in Syria directly threatened the safety of U.S. personnel who are working in Syria with local partners to defeat the militants and maintain custody of over 10,000 ISIS detainees," said spokesperson Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder in a statement.
Ryder said the U.S. recognizes Türkiye's legitimate security concerns and added "we will continue to discuss with Türkiye and our local partners maintaining cease-fire arrangements."
The following Friday, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar responded to Washington’s claims by assuring Türkiye would “never harm the coalition forces or civilians” in northern Syria, that their sole target was terrorists.
For the last week, Ankara has been reiterating its commitment to eradicating terrorist threats from northern Syria and Iraq.
Erdoğan said on Monday that Türkiye's determination to establish a 30-kilometer-long (18.6-mile) security strip along its southern border continues, something it previously sought to do with U.S. and Russian cooperation on its southern border. Turkish officials have complained that Washington and Moscow failed to uphold their ends of the deal.
"We do not need to get permission from anyone while taking steps concerning the security of our homeland and our people, and we will not be held accountable to anyone," the president noted.
Since early Nov. 20, Ankara has been leading Operation Claw-Sword, a cross-border aerial campaign against the PKK/YPG’s illegal hideouts across the Iraqi and Syrian borders where they plan attacks on Turkish soil. According to the latest reports, Turkish forces have so far eliminated 254 terrorists and struck 471 targets.
