US to Turkey: De-Escalate Tensions in Northern Syria, Focus on Fighting Islamic State

 The United States is urging Turkey to de-escalate tensions over its military operations in Syria and focus on the fight to defeat the Islamic State militants, amid a growing distrust between two NATO allies, VOA reported. 

Meanwhile, Turkey is pressing the U.S. to stop its support for Kurdish fighters or risk confronting Turkish forces on the ground in Syria.

U.S.-Turkish relations have suffered another blow, with Ankara and Washington disputing each other's version of a telephone call Wednesday between the U.S. and Turkish presidents aimed at defusing tensions over Turkish-led forces' intervention in Syria.

Ankara has rejected Washington's account of what U.S. President Donald Trump said to his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, denying there was any call by Trump to de-escalate the military operation against the Syrian Kurdish militia the YPG in Syria's Afrin enclave.

But Washington said it stands by Trump's "firm" and "tough" stand during his phone call with Erdogan.

"We stand by the president's assertion of cautioning Turkey about the escalation of tensions in Afrin area," said State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert on Thursday.

"We certainly hope they [Turkish leaders] will listen," said Nauert, "that would be a good thing."

The White House reported Trump said the Turkish operation "risks undercutting our shared goals in Syria," and "urged Turkey to de-escalate, limit its military actions, and avoid civilian casualties and increases to displaced persons and refugees."

The dispute over the contents of the telephone call is exacerbating a lack of trust between the two NATO allies.

The United States has supported the YPG...