Turkey warns US, Russia over arms supply to Syrian Kurds

PM Davuto?lu is left apoplectic after the US gives weapons to the Kurdish PYD, an enemy of Ankara, amid additional ire for MoscowTurkey's prime minister has lashed out at both the United States and Russia for supplying weapons and support to the Democratic Union Party (PYD) of Syria in its bid to fight extremist jihadists, raising concerns that the arms could be used against Turkey by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), an affiliate of the PYD. 

Turkey summoned the United States' ambassador to Turkey, John Bass, on Oct. 13 to the Foreign Ministry to convey Ankara's strong reaction over the airdropping of ammunition to the PYD late Oct. 11. A similar message was scheduled to be conveyed to Russia later on Oct. 13. 

"We have expressed this to the U.S. and Russia in the clearest way. This is an issue of national security for us. Everybody perfectly knows how we take action when it's about our national security, just like we did on the night of July 23, when we attacked the PKK and Daesh," Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu told Ankara bureau chiefs of newspapers on Oct. 12. Davuto?lu used the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) as he recalled Turkey's launch of a comprehensive military operation against ISIL and the PKK.

Davuto?lu's reaction came as the U.S. Department of Defense confirmed that a U.S. cargo plane airdropped some logistical material to the PYD late Oct. 11 in line with Washington's plans to reinforce the Syrian Kurds in their fight against ISIL in Syria. 

"The aircraft delivery includes small arms ammunition to resupply the local forces" to enable them to continue operations against ISIL, Pentagon spokeswoman Elissa Smith told Anadolu Agency on Oct. 13. Smith said the ...