Robert Menendez on Turkey: These are not actions of an ally

THE Robert MenendezDemocratic Party Senator and Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee of USAseverely criticized the Turkey for its attacks in the North Syria and to Iraq.

The American politician warned that Turkish military operations are jeopardizing the ongoing fight against the spread of Islamic State and radical elements in the region. Posting on Twitter, he noted that “these are not allied actions”.

“Turkey’s airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, including by US partner forces the SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces), have already killed civilians and destroyed critical urban infrastructure while threatening to undermine the fight against ISIS”he said in his message.

Earlier, the US Joint Chiefs of Staff responsible for the Middle East, CENTCOM (“central command”) said a Turkish drone bombed a joint base of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF, dominated by Kurdish fighters) and the US-led international coalition, killing two Kurdish fighters.

CENTCOM had initially claimed that its forces were “not at risk” from this raid, clarifying that “the closest strikes were at least 20 to 30 km” away from the area where US troops were.

However, in an email sent to AFP today, CENTCOM said it had “received additional information that its forces and personnel were at risk.”

It is noted that with support from the international coalition led by the US, the SDF led the war against the Islamic State (IS) that was driven from its strongholds in Syria in 2019.

Hundreds of troops from the international coalition, including Americans, are still deployed in Kurdish-held areas of northern Syria, a country torn apart by war that has raged since 2011.