Pentagon Urges Turkey, Kurdish Forces to Halt Fire in Syria
- Defense, State departments urge YPG not to seize new territory
- U.S. admonishes Turkey for reported cross-border shelling
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The U.S. Defense Department is urging Turkey and Kurdish forces in Syria to quit firing at each other as reports of fresh violence between the two parties threaten their efforts to counter Islamic State.
“We are concerned about the situation north of Aleppo and are working to de-escalate tensions on all sides,” the Pentagon said in a statement. “We have urged Syrian Kurdish forces affiliated with the YPG not to take advantage of a confused situation by seizing new territory. We have also seen reports of artillery fire from the Turkish side of the border and urged Turkey to cease such fires.”