Turkey supports IS by striking Rojava: YPG

DERIK, Syrian Kurdistan (Kurdistan24) – A Syrian Kurdish official on Tuesday said the airstrikes by Turkish warplanes on the People’s Protection Units (YPG) bases in Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava) aided the Islamic State (IS).

The YPG spokesperson Redur Xelil told Kurdistan24 the airstrikes came at a time when IS was retreating in Raqqa.

“Turkey’s attack on our areas and forces is read as a means of supporting [IS] and ridding the group of its dilemma,” he said.

“This is a clear support to IS,” he insisted, pointing out Turkey targets the YPG because of the victories made against the insurgent group.

Regarding relations between Turkey and the Syrian Kurds, Xelil said Turkey was never seen as an enemy for the Kurds in Syria, but Turkey did not think the same.

“We wished to have good-neighborly relations with Turkey, but The Turkish government considers us enemies, while we don’t,” he said.

After the strikes, commanders of the US-led International Coalition forces fighting IS visited the bombarded site but did not make any comments.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which the YPG is a key component of, demanded the US clarify its stance toward the strikes.

The SDF command considers the attack as an explicit assault on the US partners who are fighting terrorism.

Speaking to Kurdistan24, Naser Haj Mansour, an adviser to the SDF general command, said the US is turning a blind eye on the Turkish assaults.

“Even if the Americans don’t see the assault as positive, they should make their stance clear,” he said.

“This is persistence assaulting without a deterrent,” he further commented.

In Washington, the State Department said it was deeply concerned by the air strikes, which were not authorized by the US-led coalition fighting IS in Iraq and Syria.

“We have expressed those concerns with the government of Turkey directly,” State Department Spokesman Mark Toner told reporters.

Regarding the casualties, the YPG command stated about 20 YPG fighters lost their lives in the bombardment, and 18 were injured.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany

(Additional reporting by Kurdistan24 correspondent Ekrem Saleh in Qamishlo)