"Those who fuel terrorism in Syria are, first of all, the U.S. and the coalition forces. They have done it ruthlessly and they are doing it now," the Turkish leader said.
On Friday, Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the United States of fueling terrorism in Syria by sending weapons to the Kurdish-Syrian People's Protection Forces (YPG) militia.
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"The United States cannot say that it has not fueled terrorism. Those who fuel terrorism in Syria are, first of all, the United States and the coalition forces. They have done it ruthlessly and they are doing it now," Erdogan said.
The Turkish president stressed that Washington has sent large quantities of weapons, ammunition and other materials to Syria, where US forces have maintained an alliance with the YPG since 2015, an armed group that fights against the jihadist Islamic State.
"As if that were not enough, they have given the same support in Iran. To whom? Again to the terrorist organizations," Erdogan said, without specifying which ones he was referring to.
UN Report @antonioguterres
— Gudrun Assmann (@GudrunAssmann) July 16, 2022
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), recruited 221 children into its forces, the People's Protection Units (YPG) recruited 220, while other branches and groups of Kurdish militants recruited 42 more children altogether in 2021.https://t.co/mSHOTTHrcK
"The U.S. primarily partnered with the YPG in northeastern Syria in its fight against the Daesh terrorist group. On the other hand, Türkiye strongly opposed the YPG's presence in northern Syria," outlet DailySabah recalled, explaining that the YPG poses a threat to Türkiye and terrorizes local people, destroying their homes and forcing them to flee
Erdogan also recalled that Turkey is in constant contact with Moscow for "the fight against terrorism in northern Syria." This was a topic he discussed with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the meeting in Sochi on August 5.
The Turkish leader admitted that the negotiations with Iran were not as "efficient" as he wanted. He reiterated that Turkey could "suddenly" launch another military operation in Syria, where it already has troops deployed and occupies swaths of territory.
#Russia #Iran and Türkiye held a trilateral meeting on the situation in #Syria where they agreed to preserve territorial integrity and strengthen the fight against terrorism. #Turkey pic.twitter.com/TmYYgHJ1lh
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) July 21, 2022