News / Interviews

Turkey distancing itself from US: Analyst

Saturday, 20 February 2016 10:52 AM [ Last Update: Saturday, 20 February 2016 11:06 AM ]

Turkey is distancing itself from the United States as a simmering feud over the Syrian Kurdish fighters has sparked a war of words between Ankara and Washington, says an American military analyst.

The United States on Friday rejected Turkey’s claims that US weapons had ended up in the hands of Daesh Takfiri terrorists, the Kurdish fighters of the People’s Protection Units (YPG) and the Democratic Union Party (PYD) based in Syria.

On Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he had told President Barack Obama last month that “the US was supplying weapons” to the groups.

“Three plane loads arrived, half of them ended up in the hands of Daesh, and half of them in the hands of the PYD/YPG,” the Turkish president claimed.

“The recent statement by President Tayyip Erdogan about the United States and specifically Obama supplying weapons to Daesh and the Takfiri enemies is one of the most resounding statements that could have been made because it basically symbolizes Turkey turning against the United States, Turkey biting the hand of its master,” Scott Bennett, a former US Army psychological warfare officer, told Press TV on Saturday.

Erdogan’s stance will “very quickly isolate Turkey and quicken the US distancing itself from Turkey,” he added.

Bennett argued that Turkey’s accusation could provide congressional Republicans with ammunition to try to “impeach President Obama for treason.”

“They can essentially say that you have intentionally supplied weapons to the enemies of the United States and the president of Turkey has confirmed this,” he noted.

With Ankara becoming increasingly isolated, Bennett said, “Russia is going to be stepping up its pressure to further isolate Turkey.”

Russia will try to depict Turkey as “the enemy” of the US and Europe by highlighting its support for militants in Syria, he contended.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Friday the US should break ties with Kurdish fighters, adding “resorting to terrorist groups like the YPG is above all a sign of weakness."

Cavusoglu accused the United States on Friday of making conflicting statements about the Syrian Kurdish YPG fighters which, Ankara says, were working with members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk