Turkey threatens more attacks on US-allied Kurdish forces

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to take further military actions against the US-backed Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) forces in the far northeastern corner of Syria and the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in northern Iraq, calling on the US administration to put an end to its support for such groups.

“We will be forced to continue (our offensives).We won't provide a date and time for when we'll come. But they will know that the Turkish military can come,” Erdogan said in a press conference at Ataturk International Airport in Istanbul ahead of his departure for India on Sunday.

He further slammed the patrolling of US troops along with YPG fighters near the northeastern Syria border town of Darbasiyah earlier this week.

“We are seriously concerned to see US flags in a convoy that has YPG rags on it. We will mention these issues to President [Donald Trump] during our visit to the United States on May 16,” the Turkish leader pointed out.

The remarks came a day after Turkey’s private Ihlas news agency reported that Turkish military had relocated a convoy of armored vehicles and personnel carriers to a base near the border with Syria.

Video footage shot on Friday night showed a long line of trucks carrying military vehicles en route from the southern Turkish border town of Kilis to an unknown location in the southeastern province of Sanliurfa.

Ankara views YPG as the Syrian branch of the PKK, which has been fighting for an autonomous region inside Turkey since 1984,

Turkey has stepped up its attacks against PKK positions in northern Iraq and YPG outposts in Syria over the past few weeks.

Earlier this week, Turkish fighter jets bombed Kurdish forces in Syria and Iraq, drawing rebukes from the US State Department and the Pentagon.

The Turkish military said the April 25 attacks centered on Mount Sinjar in Iraq and Mount Karakoc in Syria.

The strike in Syria reportedly hit the area, where YPG headquarters are located, killing nearly 30 YPG fighters and officials.

The US administration is set to use YPG forces in a planned US-led offensive to retake Daesh’s Syrian stronghold of Raqqah. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has made it clear that he expects a turnaround from Washington on such a move.

On August 24, 2016, Turkish air force and special ground forces kicked off Operation Euphrates Shield inside Syria in a bid to support the so-called Free Syrian Army militants and rid the border area of Daesh terrorists in addition to fighters from the YPG and Democratic Union Party (PYD).

The offensive was launched in coordination with the US-led military coalition, which has purportedly been fighting Daesh extremists since 2014.

The incursion was the first major Turkish military intervention in Syria, which drew strong condemnation from the Damascus government for violating the Arab country's sovereignty.

Turkish officials announced the conclusion of Operation Euphrates Shield in March, but have said they would continue combating Daesh militants and Kurdish forces.

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