The government last week, through an official decree, decided to appoint administrators to replace 28 mayors, of which two were provincial and 26 were of smaller regional municipalities. The Interior Ministry announced that 24 were linked to the PKK terrorist group while four were implicated in investigations related to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), the instigator of the bloody July 15 coup attempt.As part of the state of emergency declared days after the coup attempt, it was decided that mayors and members of municipal assemblies accused of aiding and abetting terrorist groups will be removed, with the ministry appointing administrators as replacements within 15 days. Mayors accused of PKK-related charges belonged to the regional affiliate of the pro-PKK Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP). Three of the mayors replaced are from the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and one from the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). Only the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) has no local government officials implicated in terrorism-related charges. Twelve of the mayors replaced are currently in custody pending the conclusion of their trials.Turkish officials have repeatedly emphasized that the investigations into charges of aiding and abetting terrorist groups by local governments will proceed within the bounds of the rule of law.At a time when Turkey has mobilized all its resources to fight against terrorism in all its forms, its allies have provided only lackluster and grudging support. It took the U.S. administration 45 days to send a senior official to Ankara to witness first-hand the devastation caused during the coup attempt. This is the same administration that continues to drag its feet on extraditing the number one coup plotter, FETÖ leader Fethullah Gülen, while defending its military support for the PKK's Syrian wing the People's Protection Units (YPG) that openly attacks Turkish forces fighting DAESH.As if the U.S. administration could not do any more to ruin the Turkish public's trust in its NATO ally, now the U.S. Embassy in Ankara has released a statement on the appointment of administrators.Under the heading of "Statement of Concern About Today's Events in Southeast Turkey," the embassy said, "We are concerned by reports of clashes in Turkey's Southeast following the Government's decision to remove some elected local officials from office on charges of supporting terrorism," before calling for respect for judicial due process.It is unacceptable for a diplomatic representative of an ally to defend people accused of serious terrorism related charges. Either, the ambassador himself has taken the initiative or is just parroting the orders he is receiving directly from the U.S. State Department. No matter how these statements are prepared, the U.S. administration is either not being served properly by its local diplomats or it is taking steps that intentionally create anger among the Turkish public.It is about time the U.S. realizes that Turkey is no longer a country that it can patronize. It should get used to interacting with Turkey as an equal. It should, moreover, show some respect to the democratically elected government, the Turkish public and the Turkish judiciary. The public is sick and tired of seeing the American ambassador standing side by side with anyone accused of terrorism charges, naturally creating the impression that the U.S. is openly antagonistic toward Turkish democracy. Such a stance, considering the disappointing U.S. stance during and after the July 15 coup attempt, only adds to the widely held public distrust toward the U.S. Never mind the obviously insincere protestations over rising anti-Americanism in Turkey, especially when it is the U.S.'s actions themselves that are fomenting it.It is impossible to expect a diplomatic representative constantly at odds with the government and the public of a host country to help bilateral ties. It should be no surprise to his bosses in Washington D.C. that their diplomat in Ankara is harming American interests in Turkey.The main function of an ambassador is to follow the guidelines of his or her government's policies in the host country and inform his or her superiors of what is happening. However, the U.S. envoy in Turkey, rather than working as an intermediary between two allies, seems to enjoy being in the news. Rather than informing his government about what is really happening in Turkey and Turkey's counterterrorism initiatives, the U.S. Embassy in Ankara is trying to become part of local political discourse, instigating anti-Americanism in Turkey while creating a mistaken impression among his superiors back home.As Daily Sabah, we invite U.S. President Barack Obama to ask his diplomatic team and his Ankara envoy why anti-Americanism is on the rise in Turkey?We can only hope that the next administration that will be in office come February will see to this serious disservice done by the local American ambassador to both allies and immediately appoint someone with the necessary qualifications and vision to this very important diplomatic post.