ISTANBUL: Turkey called Thursday for the removal of the US diplomat coordinating the international coalition fighting the Daesh group in Iraq and Syria, accusing him of backing Syrian Kurdish militia.
Washington and Ankara are bitterly at odds over US support for the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) in Syria, a group that Turkey considers a front for banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) separatists.
“Brett McGurk is definitely giving support to PKK and YPG. It would be useful if this person was replaced,” Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told the private NTV television.
Last year, McGurk visited YPG members controlling the Syrian town of Kobani and was awarded a plaque, which drew Turkey’s wrath.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan angrily told Washington at the time to choose between Ankara and “terrorists” there.
But Ankara is now hopeful about the future of the relationship with Washington under Donald Trump after ties frayed in the final years of Barack Obama’s administration.
Erdogan on Tuesday met Trump at the White House and the two leaders promised to strengthen strained ties between the NATO allies despite the Turkish leader’s stern warning about Washington’s arming of a Kurdish militia.
“It is absolutely unacceptable to take the YPG-PYD into consideration as partners in the region, and it’s going against a global agreement we reached,” Erdogan said in Washington.
The United States sees YPG as the most effective force on the ground in the fight against Daesh group.
Turkey calls for ouster of US envoy for anti-Daesh coalition
Turkey calls for ouster of US envoy for anti-Daesh coalition
Severe floods in southeast Brazil kill at least 25 and force hundreds to evacuate
- Minas Gerais’ fire department says it is searching for 43 people who went missing since late Monday
- Officials have warned residents to stay away from areas that could be prone to mudslides
JUIZ DE FOR A, Brazil: Severe floods in southeastern Brazil have killed at least 25 people and left dozens missing in the state of Minas Gerais, officials said Tuesday. Meteorologists warned more rain is expected in the region in the next few days.
The torrential rains began Monday in the cities of Juiz de Fora and Uba, about 310 kilometers (192 miles) north of Rio de Janeiro, forcing about 440 residents to evacuate their homes.
Minas Gerais’ fire department says it is searching for 43 people who went missing since late Monday. A video shared by the department showed flooded streets in Juiz de Fora and Uba, where a river veered off its course.
Officials have warned residents to stay away from areas that could be prone to mudslides.
Juiz de Fora is a city of 560,000 residents, while neighboring Uba has 107,000, according to Brazil’s statistics agency.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said on his social media channels that security forces are working on the rescue and providing immediate assistance to the population affected by the rain.
Brazil’s meteorology institute Inmet said in a statement that more rain is forecast for the region, which lies close to hills, valleys and slopes.
Juiz de Fora City Hall said in a statement the city experienced double the rain expected for February. Mayor Margarida Salomão said earlier at least 20 landslides were reported.
Firefighter Demetrius Bastos Goulart, 47, said rescue efforts will be slow and lengthy. “It is a high volume (of mud) in the landslides, we have to work with a lot of precision to avoid any damage to potential victims,” Goulard told The Associated Press.
