US affirms Türkiye’s right to go after PKK but dodges questions on YPG

By Rabia Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US on Monday reaffirmed its recognition of Türkiye's "legitimate right" to go after the PKK but avoided a question on the terror group's Syrian branch, the YPG, which the US partners with in Syria to combat Daesh/ISIS.

"We understand Türkiye's legitimate right to go after a designated terrorist organization,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters, adding that Washington continues to designate the PKK as a terrorist organization.

When pressed by Anadolu about the YPG, the Syrian offshoot of the PKK, which both Türkiye and the US designated as a terrorist organization, Miller avoided the question, saying: “I would speak with respect to the PKK.”

"We have designated the PKK, and we respect their right to go after that organization," he added.

Noting that Syria is currently in a "fragile" state, Miller added: "We don't want to see any party take an action to pursue their own unilateral interests over the broader interests of the Syrian people."

Miller also defended the US’s partnership with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which are led by the YPG, stating that the SDF plays an important role in countering Daesh/ISIS.

"It is in the interest of Türkiye, in the interest of the Syrian people and all countries in the region that ISIS not rear its head again, that the ISIS fighters who are being held in SDF custody not be released," he said.

Miller highlighted the ongoing engagement with Turkish officials, saying “it is an extremely difficult issue, but we continue to engage with our Turkish counterparts.”

Asked why the US does not consider cooperation with its NATO ally Türkiye instead of the YPG to combat Daesh/ISIS, he said: “We have been discussing this with our NATO ally and trying to come to the best path forward.”

"What we are trying to avoid is Syria devolving once again into sectarian fighting after it just came through the Assad regime that presided over a brutal, years-long civil war, and we don't want to see any actions that would further destabilize the situation," he added.

When pressed by Anadolu on whether such actions include those by Israel, such as its expansion of settlement building in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights and its bombing of various parts of Syria, he said it includes "every party in the region" but did not explicitly name Israel.

He later defended Israel's seizure of the demilitarized buffer zone in Syria's Golan Heights, saying that it took the action because it saw the Syrian army withdraw from the buffer zone, and it created a vacuum that could be filled by groups that Israel and the US consider terrorist groups.

"They have said it's temporary," he added.