SULAIMANI (ESTA) — The United States condemned cross-border attacks against Turkish forces in Syria, calling on all sides to respect ceasefire to enhance stability in the country.
Two Turkish police officers were killed on October 10 in a guided missile attack in northern Syria’s Azaz region, which Turkey said was launched by the People’s Protection Units (YPG).
The attack was launched from the Tal Rifaat region, it said.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the attack was “the final straw” and that Turkey was determined to eliminate threats originating in north Syria.
U.S. State Department’s spokesman Ned Price said it was another “important reason” to underscore the imperative of maintaining ceasefire lines and halting cross-border attacks.
“It’s crucial for all sides to maintain and respect ceasefire zones to enhance stability in Syria and to work toward a political solution to the conflict,” Price said in a press conference on Friday.
“We have many interests with our NATO ally, Turkey. Countering terrorism is one of them. Endling conflict in Syria is another. Deterring malign influence in the region is another,” Prince added.
Price further said the United States would continue to consult with Turkey on Syria policy.
Turkish forces have launched three incursions in the last five years, seizing hundreds of kilometers of border strip and pushing around 30 km (20 miles) into northern Syria.
The United States views the YPG as a key ally in the fight against Islamic State (ISIS) in northeast Syria. Russia has forces in the area to support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Reuters cited two Turkish officials as saying that Ankara was preparing for possible further attacks against the YPG if talks on the issue with the U.S. and Russia failed.
The officials said Erdogan would discuss the issue with U.S. President Joe Biden at a G20 summit of the world’s major economies in Rome at the end of October.
Erdogan will speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin after the talks with Biden, another official said.
“It is essential that the areas, notably the Tel Rifaat region from which attacks are constantly carried out against us, are cleansed,” one senior official told Reuters.
Azaz and Jarablus have been under the control of rebels backed by Turkey since Ankara’s first incursion into Syria in 2016 – an operation that aimed to drive ISIS militants and the YPG away from the border.
Since then Ankara has launched two other operations in Syria against the YPG, one targeting the northwest Afrin region and one further east.
