“We are working tirelessly to persuade the Turkish government not to embark on this reckless adventure,” said Barbara Leaf, the Middle East’s deputy foreign minister.
The United States fears that Turkey will carry out its threat by launching a new attack on northern Syria despite warnings from Washington to prevent it, a US diplomat said today.
Undersecretary of State for Middle East Affairs Barbara Leaf expressed her government’s “deep concern” during a parliamentary hearing for the threats of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan against Kurdish fighters in Syria.
“We have increased our diplomatic contacts to try to stop this,” he said.
“We are making relentless efforts to persuade the Turkish government not to embark on this reckless adventure,” he added.
Asked if Ankara would abandon its plans due to US efforts, the State Department official replied: “I will be very honest, I can not give you that assurance.”
The Turkish head of state has repeatedly threatened since the end of May that he would launch a new military operation against two locations in northern Syria, targeting Kurdish fighters whom he describes as “terrorists”.
Among them are the People’s Protection Units (YPG), backed by the United States and the international coalition against Islamic State.
Washington has stepped up its warnings against such an attack, which it says threatens to destabilize the region and jeopardize the war against the jihadists.
This new confrontation illustrates the recurring tensions between the United States and Turkey, as Ankara also opposes the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO, which are backed by other members of the Alliance.
