The US recognizes Turkey’s concern over the situation on the Syrian-Turkish border, but calls for abstaining from violence and will focus on the fight against the terrorist organization Islamic State, said Pentagon spokesman Major Adrian Rankine-Galloway.
On Saturday, the Turkish General Staff announced the beginning of a military operation against the armed formations of Syrian Kurds in the Afrina area in north-west Syria.
Detachments of the “Free Syrian Army” in turn announced the beginning of an offensive on the position of the Kurdish party PYD (Democratic Union).
Earlier it was reported that the adviser and press secretary of the Turkish President Ibrahim Kalyn during a telephone conversation with the US National Security Adviser Herbert McMaster called him to stop supporting the self-defense forces of the Syrian Kurds.
“We recognize Turkey’s security concerns over the PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party – Ed.), Which is recognized by the US and Turkey as a terrorist organization.” The US does not provide any support to the PKK,” said Rankine-Galloway.
He added that the US calls on “all parties to avoid escalating and focus on the most important task – to defeat the IS”.
The representative of the military department also stressed that “the forces of the coalition led by the United States do not conduct operations in Afrin, since they are oriented toward military operations against the IS.”