ANKARA: France will not gain in any way by retaining forces to protect a Kurdish militia in Syria, Turkey's foreign minister said on Tuesday, after Paris announced it would maintain a presence despite an imminent US withdrawal.
Washington's decision to pull out 2,000 of his ground forces from Syria has stunned most allies including France but was greeted with approval by Turkey, which will now have a freer rein to target Kurdish fighters from the US-backed People's Protection Units (YPG).
"If France is staying to contribute to Syria's future, great, but if they are doing this to protect the (militia), this will bring no benefit to anyone," Mevlut Cavusoglu said, according to Hurriyet daily, in comments also partially carried by the state news agency Anadolu.
Turkey views the YPG militia as a sister "terrorist" organisation of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged an insurgency inside Turkey since 1984. The PKK is blacklisted as a terror group by Ankara, the US and the European Union.
US President Donald Trump last week ordered the withdrawal of US ground forces that had been in Syria to provide training to the YPG under the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance battling against Daesh.
The shock move put allies on the backfoot, with French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday saying "an ally must be reliable".
In a sign of the growing diplomatic rift between the two leaders, Macron said "I deeply regret the decision" by Trump to pullout US troops.
Cavusoglu hit out at France's "support" of the YPG, which he said was "no secret" as he slammed French officials' meetings with leaders of the SDF's political wing last week.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Turkey will intervene in the coming months against Daesh and the YPG.
Cavusoglu said Turkey has "the power to neutralise (Daesh) alone" amid fears that a US pull-out will hurt the fight against Daesh.
Critics say thousands of Daesh members are still in Syria and could pose a threat with some analysts concerned the withdrawal could lead to a resurgence of Daesh.
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Turkey warns France ‘no benefit’ in retaining troops in Syria
Turkey warns France ‘no benefit’ in retaining troops in Syria
- Ankara views the US-backed YPG as a “terrorist offshoot” of Kurdish insurgents inside Turkey
- Paris announced it would maintain a presence despite Washington’s pull-out announcement
New strikes hit Iraq base housing Iran-backed fighters: faction source
BAGHDAD: New strikes have hit a military base in Iraq housing the Iran-backed Kataeb Hezbollah group, while in the Kurdish city of Irbil air defenses intercepted drone attacks.
“Three strikes hit Jurf Al-Nasr,” a Kataeb Hezbollah source told AFP, referring to a military base that serves as one of the main bastions of the powerful armed group, which has been targeted several times since the start of the Israel-US campaign against Iran.
Iraq, which has recently regained a sense of stability but has long been a proxy battleground between the US and Iran, said it did not want to be dragged into the war.
But it has not been spared.
From the early hours of the campaign against Iran, strikes blamed on the US and Israel hit Iran-backed groups, which have vowed retaliation.
On Sunday, nine Iran-backed fighters were killed in separate strikes, including five from Kataeb Hezbollah.
The group announced it will bury its fighters Monday.
The Kataeb Hezbollah source told AFP that four fighters were killed in an attack near the Syria-Iraq border and another in a strike on the Samawa region in Iraq’s south.
Several Iran-backed Iraqi armed groups known as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, including Kataeb Hezbollah, have said they will not stay “neutral” and would defend the Islamic republic.
A shadowy group called Saraya Awliyaa Al-Dam (Guardians of Blood), which claims to be part of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, said on Telegram it was behind early Monday morning drone attacks on Baghdad airport.
Since the start of the US-Israel campaign on Iran, drones have repeatedly been intercepted over Irbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdistan region, which hosts US-led coalition troops and a major US consulate complex.
Loud bangs were heard Monday near Irbil airport, where foreign troops are deployed, an AFP journalist said.
Earlier Monday, an AFP photographer said air defense systems downed drones near the airport.
“Three strikes hit Jurf Al-Nasr,” a Kataeb Hezbollah source told AFP, referring to a military base that serves as one of the main bastions of the powerful armed group, which has been targeted several times since the start of the Israel-US campaign against Iran.
Iraq, which has recently regained a sense of stability but has long been a proxy battleground between the US and Iran, said it did not want to be dragged into the war.
But it has not been spared.
From the early hours of the campaign against Iran, strikes blamed on the US and Israel hit Iran-backed groups, which have vowed retaliation.
On Sunday, nine Iran-backed fighters were killed in separate strikes, including five from Kataeb Hezbollah.
The group announced it will bury its fighters Monday.
The Kataeb Hezbollah source told AFP that four fighters were killed in an attack near the Syria-Iraq border and another in a strike on the Samawa region in Iraq’s south.
Several Iran-backed Iraqi armed groups known as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, including Kataeb Hezbollah, have said they will not stay “neutral” and would defend the Islamic republic.
A shadowy group called Saraya Awliyaa Al-Dam (Guardians of Blood), which claims to be part of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, said on Telegram it was behind early Monday morning drone attacks on Baghdad airport.
Since the start of the US-Israel campaign on Iran, drones have repeatedly been intercepted over Irbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdistan region, which hosts US-led coalition troops and a major US consulate complex.
Loud bangs were heard Monday near Irbil airport, where foreign troops are deployed, an AFP journalist said.
Earlier Monday, an AFP photographer said air defense systems downed drones near the airport.
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