U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that Turkey would pay a price for an attack on Kurds in neighbouring Syria while noting that the Islamic State (ISIS), which once controlled large swaths of land, is “gone” from the country.
“President Trump made very clear his expectations with respect to how Turkey would treat those to his south inside of Syria. He said that there will be a real cost associated with behaviour in that way, and we are fully engaged diplomatically to deliver an outcome which protects the folks that are in Syria as well as ensures that those people in Syria aren’t attacking Turkey as well. We think they are each entitled to their own security and we’re confident we can deliver that,” Pompeo said on Friday during an interview with Iceland’s RUV television.
Pompeo’s statements arrive as the United States prepares to withdraw all 2000 of its troops from the war-torn country following a surprise December announcement by President Donald Trump. Kurdish militants, namely the People’s Protection Units (YPG), formed the backbone of the Washington’s fight against ISIS in the region and the United States has repeatedly voiced its objections against Turkey’s plans for a cross-border operation targeting the group.
Ankara designates the YPG is a terrorist organisation and has vowed to destroy it.
Pompeo stressed that the United States is determined to fight ISIS and reduce the security risk to not only the Washington, but to its allies; however, noted that the United States can use locals to this end.
“It’s in their backyard – and we can use other means by which to push back against this, not the least of which is fighting back against the ideology which delivers it,” Pompeo told RUV.
Trump in December said that local countries, including Turkey, would take on the task of handling the remnants of ISIS in the region; however, disagreement over Syrian Kurds has given way to uncertainty about the role Ankara will play on the ground.
Donald J. Trump✔@realDonaldTrump
….going to be there for three months, and that was seven years ago – we never left. When I became President, ISIS was going wild. Now ISIS is largely defeated and other local countries, including Turkey, should be able to easily take care of whatever remains. We’re coming home!
Ankara, for its part, has long been angered by Washington’s support for Kurdish militants, which control the north-eastern corner of Syria along the border with Turkey, and has used force to counter any moves to towards the creation of an autonomous Kurdish region along its border.
Source: Ahval News
