US supports Turkey against PKK, not YPG

ISTANBUL, Turkey (K24, Agencies) – On Saturday, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told American Vice President Joe Biden that the U.S.-backed Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) in Syria were terrorists.

Davutoglu’s remarks came during a joint news conference with Biden. The Turkish PM claimed that the YPG headquarters were in Qandil Mountains, Iraqi Kurdistan, where the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) is based.

He went on to declare that the main Syrian Kurdish party, Democratic Union Party (PYD), was collaborating with the Syrian regime and was engaged in ethnic cleansing of Arabs, Turkmen, and Kurds who were not loyal to the group.

"PYD is a terrorist organization. The fact that they are fighting Da'esh [Islamic State] does not legitimize them," added Davutoglu, using a pejorative Arabic acronym for the IS.

Earlier, on Friday, during the first day of his visit to Turkey, Biden stated that the Turkish officials should differentiate between the YPG and PKK, according to the Turkish daily, Radikal.

Biden said that Kurds in Syria were fighting the Islamic State (IS) and described the IS as a threat for all, including Turkey and the United States.

But during the press conference with the Turkish PM, Biden did not mention the YPG and only said that defeating IS was the shared Turkish-American goal.

The American Vice President also reiterated his country's support for Turkey who is battling PKK-affiliate fighters in numerous Kurdish cities.

Biden criticized the PKK, an organization labeled as terrorists by Turkey's Western allies, including the U.S. and the European Union.

"ISIL is not the only existential threat…the PKK is equally a threat and we are aware of that," Biden said. ISIL is the acronym the U.S. administration and military employ for the Islamic State group.

"The PKK has shown no desire or inclination to do that [live in peace]. It is a terrorist group plain and simple. And what they continue to do is absolutely outrageous,” Biden added in an ensuring tone to the Turkish officials.

The PKK has been leading a renewed insurgency since mid-2015 in the Kurdish region of Turkey, demanding autonomy for Kurds.

Reporting by: Kamaran Haji Omar, Reuters
Editing by: Ava Homa