US calls Turkey's attacks on Kurds 'oxygen' for IS

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – United States Department of State Spokesperson John Kirby on Sunday labeled Turkey’s aerial and ground attacks on Syrian Kurdish forces as “oxygen” for the Islamic State (IS).

“We do not support nor condone any maneuvers in this area which can only give new oxygen to [IS],” Kirby said in a series of tweets.

The Spokesperson did not mention Turkey but referred to northwestern Syria where Turkish airstrikes have been targeting Kurdish positions.

Turkey started an intensive and surprise air campaign on Wednesday that continued throughout the week against Kurdish forces who were pushing eastward from Afrin to the IS-held city of al-Bab.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had vowed to capture al-Bab and attack the Kurdish-held city of Manbij west of the River Euphrates where he said Kurds should withdraw because it “belonged to Arabs.”

Kirby restated the US “had nothing to do with reported clashes west of Marea,” a town where Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) were fighting back the Islamist Free Syrian Army (FSA) factions supported by Turkish airstrikes and artillery.

Turkish state media initially announced the killing of 160 to 200 “PKK/PYD terrorists,” a claim not confirmed by Kurdish authorities.

The Democratic Union Party (PYD) which Turkey labels as “terrorists” accused of having ties to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) is the ruling party in Syrian Kurdistan.

On Saturday, the YPG published pictures and names of 20 fighters it said were killed in Turkish airstrikes and FSA attacks that were repelled in the town of Tell Rifat.

On Sunday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the number of Kurdish casualties rose to 22.

The American official repeated his Thursday and Friday calls on “all sides to stand down and focus on greater threats,” such as IS.

Moreover, Kirby added he was concerned with “reports about civilian casualties in recent air and artillery strikes.”

Kurdish authorities on Thursday called on the United Nations, Russia, and the US to intervene and stop Turkish bombardment of Kurdish forces and villages.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on his part later raised his country’s “concern” over the Turkish airstrikes on Kurds.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany