 "Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan <b>AP/PTI</b>")
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has launched a bitter attack on NATO ally the United States over its support of Syrian Kurdish groups, saying it was creating a "pool of blood" in the region.
In an impassioned and sometimes angry address, Erdogan asked whether the United States was an ally or was working with groups Ankara lists as terror organisations.
Turkey considers the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its People's Protection Units (YPG) militia to be terror groups allied to the rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) inside Turkey, a position not shared by Washington.
"Hey America... As you have never recognised them (as terror groups) the region has turned into a pool of blood," Erdogan said yesterday.
"Hey America! How many times have we had to tell you?" he said. "Are you together with us or are you with the PYD and YPG terror groups?"
Erdogan launched the attack in one of his regular speeches at the presidential palace to loyal municipal leaders known as muhtars that have become a forum for his most vehemently anti-Western comments.
"Is there a difference between the PKK and the PYD? Is there a difference with the YPG?" growled Erdogan. "We have written proof!"
"Allies don't tell each other my enemy's enemy is my friend. You must have principles. But there are no principles here."
His remarks escalated a row between Washington and Ankara over the role of Kurdish fighters in the struggle against Islamic State (ISIS) jihadists in Syria.
Turkey says the Syrian Kurdish groups are simply a branch of the rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and has carried out a string of deadly attacks in Turkey in the last few months.
The dispute risks further complicating the search for a solution to Syria's five-year conflict, drawing a wedge between two key members of the anti-ISIS coalition and driving another nail into the coffin of a process of peace talks.
In a further twist, a Syrian Kurdish group yesterday opened a representation in Moscow, which is currently in the throes of a diplomatic crisis with Ankara and is working to tighten ties with the Kurds.
Turkey on Tuesday summoned the US envoy to Ankara in protest after the US State Department said Washington did not recognise the PYD as a terror group and would continue to support its operations in Syria.
"Even the best of friends aren't going to agree on everything," State Department spokesman John Kirby said Monday.
"Kurdish fighters have been some of the most successful in going after Daesh inside Syria," he said, using another name for the Islamic State group.
The State Department's deputy spokesman Mark Toner yesterday also sought to allay Turkey's concerns.
