Video - Trump Warns Erdogan Over Syria As War Spreads

Just before boarding his flight to Davos, Switzerland where he’ll be giving a speech to the World Economic Forum, US President Donald Trump had a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in which both men discussed the Turkish invasion of the Afrin province of northern Syria.

The US, which has some 2,000 troops in the region, does by all means want to abstain from a direct conflict between American and Turkish forces, as this would pit 2 NATO allies against each other.

<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The U.S. is at odds with a close ally. In a phone call today, Trump urged Turkey&#39;s president to limit an assault on a Kurdish enclave in northern Syria or risk conflict with American forces. Holly Williams reports from the Syria-Turkey border. <a href="https://t.co/O48K4UsLuX">https://t.co/O48K4UsLuX</a> <a href="https://t.co/1NOD1TNpwz">pic.twitter.com/1NOD1TNpwz</a></p>&mdash; CBS News (@CBSNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/CBSNews/status/956314078032646146?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2018</a></blockquote>

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As social media is by now being overflown with pictures and videos showing direct fighting between the US-backed YPG forces (who are of Kurdish origin) and the Turkish army, many fear that it is only a matter of time before Turkey and the US would be in direct confrontation.

<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Close range fighting between YPG and Turkey backed groups in Qurne village of Bilbil town of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Afrin?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Afrin</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/HosengHesen?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HosengHesen</a> <a href="https://t.co/BnapRCiid0">pic.twitter.com/BnapRCiid0</a></p>&mdash; Mutlu Civiroglu (@mutludc) <a href="https://twitter.com/mutludc/status/956362240491483136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 25, 2018</a></blockquote>

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The White House provided a statement on President Trump’s phone call with the Turkish President, saying that “he urged Turkey to deescalate, limit its military actions, and avoid civilian casualties.”

“He urged Turkey to exercise caution and to avoid any actions that might risk conflict between Turkish and American forces.”

The Turkish interpretation of that same phone call was somehow different, with their state department claiming that “President Trump did not share any ‘concerns about escalating violence’ with regard to the ongoing military operation in Afrin.”

<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">[Video] Turkey launched <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OperationOliveBranch?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OperationOliveBranch</a> in Syria&#39;s Afrin to eliminate PYD/PKK and Daesh terrorists <a href="https://t.co/BnlZ83XuRP">pic.twitter.com/BnlZ83XuRP</a></p>&mdash; ANADOLU AGENCY (ENG) (@anadoluagency) <a href="https://twitter.com/anadoluagency/status/955518571643396103?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2018</a></blockquote>

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Mr Gonul Tol, director of the Center for Turkish Studies at Washington’s Middle East Institute think tank, claims that Turkey is making the situation in Syria only more difficult at this point: “The U.S. needs Turkey not to spoil things. Until now, Washington has walked a very fine line between working with the Kurdish militia and also preventing a complete breakdown in relations with Ankara.”

As to President Erdogan’s intentions, Mr Told stated that “I think behind closed doors, he really would not want a complete break in Turkey’s relations with the West.”

Source:

http://www.dw.com/en/donald-trump-warns-turkey-over-syria-incursion-white-house/a-42297988