Turkey calls for YPG withdrawal from Syrian border
Having confirmed the shelling on the positions of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), Ankara has called for the withdrawal of YPG forces from northern Syrian border regions.
“The YPG will immediately withdraw from Azaz and the surrounding area and will not go close to it again,” said Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu during a live broadcast on Turkish TV on Saturday.
He also confirmed the shelling of positions recently retaken from the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group by the YPG affiliate the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), and added that they were carried out as “retaliation” and were “within the framework of the rules of engagement."
Davutoglu added that Turkey would "retaliate against every step" made by the group.
Earlier, the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the strategic Minnigh military airport and a village in the northwestern province of Aleppo had been shelled by Turkey.
Ankara considers the PYD as an ally of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which it has been battling for months, but to the US, the group is seen as part of the fight against the Daesh terrorists.
Meanwhile, US State Department spokesman John Kirby called on Turkey to halt military strikes on the PYD.
"We are concerned about the situation north of Aleppo and are working to de-escalate tensions on all sides," he said.
Daesh terrorists, who have been wreaking havoc in Syria and Iraq and miles further in Libya, were initially trained by the CIA in Jordan in 2012 to destabilize the Syrian government. Ankara has reportedly provided support for the Takfiri militants operating inside Syria.
Hamas denies reports about political bureau relocation to Turkey as false
BRICS offers Turkey partner status, says Turkish minister
Erdogan claims Turkey has 'severed all ties' with Israel
Iran to launch ‘new, advanced’ centrifuges in response to IAEA resolution: AEOI
Yemen fires hypersonic missile at Israeli airbase
VIDEO | New Delhi chokes under toxic smog as air quality remains at hazardous levels
VIDEO | Press TV's news headlines
VIDEO | ICC's arrest warrant for Netanyahu to worry Western politicians: Former British diplomat
Iranians protest against Israel after Netanyahu ICC warrant
Germany undecided on complying with ICC arrest warrants for Israeli war criminals
VIDEO | Former FBI agent criticizes US Congress for 'outright corruption'
PressTV NEWSLETTER
now
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
