Turkey’s Erdogan slams US for patrolling border with SDF in north Syria

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday said US-Kurdish joint patrols in north Syria near the border with Turkey were unacceptable and he expected US President Donald Trump to stop them.

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday said US-Kurdish joint patrols in north Syria near the border with Turkey were unacceptable and he expected US President Donald Trump to stop them.

“This is not an acceptable thing. This can cause serious negative developments on the border. I believe Mr. Trump will stop this,” Erdogan told reporters at the parliament.

A meeting between Erdogan and Trump is scheduled this weekend in Paris on the occasion of the Peace Forum.

Earlier this month, the United States-led Coalition against the Islamic State (IS) confirmed the start of joint Turkish-American patrols near Manbij and then continued to cover the border with Turkey in areas of northeast Syria under the control of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

The Syrian Democratic Council (SDC), the SDF’s political umbrella, welcomed the joint US-SDF patrols.

“The US forces patrols on the border with Turkey is an important step that will de-escalate the tension and stop the Turkish violations,” Amjad Othman, the spokesperson of the SDC, told Kurdistan 24.

“We look, however, for permanent solutions that bring stability and security to the region,” he added.   

SDF Spokesperson Kino Gabriel said the coalition “ran joint patrols with the SDF along the Syrian-Turkish border during the last three days.”

According to Gabriel, one patrol covered the area between Kobani and Tal Abyad, another patrol covered the area between Darbisiya and Ras al-Ain cities, and the final one between Qamishli and Derik.

A spokesperson for the US-led coalition also confirmed the patrols.

“The Northeast Syria patrols went out for the second time, but there is no established timetable for future patrols,” Army Colonel Sean Ryan, Spokesperson for Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), told Kurdistan 24.

However, shelling by the Turkish military and border security guards resumed in some areas.

The Syria-based Kurdish Hawar News Agency reported that the Turkish army on Tuesday bombarded Tal Jihan village near Tirbespiyê. Moreover, the Turkish army targeted al-Mehta neighborhood in the town of Serêkaniyê.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany