Monitoring Desk
MANBIJ: Turkey’s diplomatic efforts regarding the Democratic Union Party (PYD), which is the Syrian offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) terror organization, have started to pay off. Communication between Ankara and Washington regarding Syria’s Manbij region are expected to intensify.
Turkey gives U.S. opportunity to rectify Manbij promise
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavusoglu recently met with newly appointed U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Brussels on the sidelines of a gathering of top diplomats of NATO allies. Turkey will take steps together with the U.S. in Manbij, Çavusoglu said following their meeting.
Shortly after this, U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Joseph Dunford spoke with his Turkish counterpart General Hulusi Akar over the phone. They discussed the current security environment in Syria and the Middle East, as well as ways to strengthen cooperation.
The U.S. had pledged to withdraw the People’s Protection Units (YPG), the armed wing of the PYD, from Manbij, which is located approximately 25 miles from Turkey’s border, to the west of the Euphrates, but has thus far failed to fulfill its promise.
Ankara continues to stockpile evidence against YPG/PYD
Turkey has continued to amass evidence that proves the YPG/PYD is the Syrian extension of the PKK. Previously, many of Turkey’s western allies denied and contradicted this fact. Recently, however, these countries have started to change their tune and have become unable to defend the terror group. Turkey presented this evidence during NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s most recent official visit.
Sources claim that in closed-door meetings, those who once defended the terror group have become unable to do so in the face of Turkey’s growing stockpile of evidence and that they have started to accept that the YPG/PYD is the Syrian extension of the PKK. Although the actions of the YPG/PYD have become indefensible to their backers, they continue to support the terror group on the field. Various types of arms and ammunitions are continually provided.
The U.S has supplied the YPG/PYD with more than 5,000 truckloads of weapons to allegedly use in the fight against Daesh, despite Ankara’s warnings that the fact they are the Syrian offshoots of the PKK terror organization.
French troops spotted patrolling Manbij
Turkey has continued to update its evidence stockpile. The U.S. has always been a backer of the terror group, and now France has also joined in. French troops who were sent to Manbij following Turkey’s Operation Olive Branch were spotted in the YPG/PYD-occupied city alongside U.S. troops and terrorists.
A convoy of French and U.S. troops made up of ten Humvees, long-range missile launchers, radar and communications equipment, and medium weapons deployed from the American military base in Kobani entered Manbij. American and French fighter jets are also said to be on alert to fly to PKK-occupied Manbij.
The PKK is listed as a terror organization by Turkey, the EU and the U.S.
