Russia: US provoking Turkey by arming Kurds in Syria

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova delivers a speech during a press conference at the Russian Foreign Ministry building in Moscow, Russia on 16 March 2017 [Nikita Shvetsov/Anadolu Agency]

The US is provoking Turkey by sending weapons to the Kurds in Syria through Iraqi territory, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said yesterday.

During a press conference held in Moscow, Zakharova said: “The Americans have sent the Kurds convoys with weapons through the territory of Iraq, provoking Turkey. Turkey, in turn, has continued its military activity against Kurds in the Afrin area in north-western Syria as part of the ‘Operation Olive Branch’.”

On 20 January, the Turkish Army and the Syrian Free Army waged “Operation Olive Branch” in the Afrin area in northern Syria, targeting Daesh sites as well as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the Turkish Popular Protection Units (YPG).

Zakharova said the US has engaged in an open confrontation against the Syrian army to support its Kurdish allies, Sputnik reported.

On 7 February, the US-led anti-Daesh coalition launched air strikes against forces loyal to the Syrian regime.

Read: In defence of Turkey’s Olive Branch operation

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