Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticized the United States for its support of Syrian Kurdish PYD rebels, accusing Washington of creating a “pool of blood” in the region for failing to recognize the fighters as terrorists.
“Hey America… As you have never recognized them [as terror groups] the region has turned into a pool of blood,” Mr. Erdogan said in a speech Wednesday in Ankara to provincial officials, referring to the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its People’s Protection Units (YPG) militia, Agence France-Presse reported.
Turkey considers the PYD to be a terrorist organization, citing its ties to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which the U.S. already recognizes as a terror group. The PKK has carried out a three-decade violent insurgency for Kurdish autonomy in Turkey’s mainly Kurdish southeast, Reuters reported.
Mr. Erdogan’s remarks escalated growing tensions between the U.S. and Turkey over the role of Kurdish fighters in the fight against the Islamic State terror group in Syria, AFP reported.
“Hey America! How many times have we had to tell you?” Mr. Erdogan said in his fiery address.
“Is there a difference between the PKK and the PYD? Is there a difference with the YPG?” he asked, AFP reported. “We have written proof. We tell the Americans ’it’s a terror group.’ But the Americans stand up and say ’no we don’t see them as terror groups’.”
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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