Chairperson of the Joint Chiefs-of-Staff Army Gen. Mark Milley only met with U.S. soldiers during his visit to Syria’s northeastern areas held by the PKK’s Syrian wing, the YPG, U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters.
Price’s statement comes as the Turkish Foreign Ministry on Monday summoned U.S. Ambassador to Ankara Jeff Flake over the visit and asked for an explanation.
Confirming that Flake was summoned to the ministry, Price underlined that the general only visited American soldiers and that Washington’s sole goal in Syria was the fight against Daesh, which was in the interest of all allies in the region including Türkiye.
Col. Dave Butler, the spokesperson for the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that "Gen. Milley visited northern Syria to meet with (U.S.) commanders and military units. He received up-to-date information on the mission to combat Daesh, examined force protection measures, and the return of the refugees in the Hol refugee camp to their countries."
Milley made the unannounced visit Saturday to assess a nearly eight-year-old mission there and to review safeguards for U.S. troops against potential attacks.
About 900 U.S. troops are deployed in several bases and posts across northeastern Syria.
Similar to the Turkish ministry, the Syrian Foreign Ministry condemned the visit as well.
Official news agency SANA quoted a ministry official as saying: "Syria strongly condemns the illegal visit of the American chairperson of the Chiefs-of-Staff to an illegal American military base in northeast Syria."
Milley's visit was "a flagrant violation of the sovereignty and integrity," of Syrian territory, the official added according to SANA, calling on "the U.S. administration to immediately cease its systematic and continued violation of international law and support for separatist armed groups."
The PKK is a designated terrorist organization in the U.S., Türkiye and the European Union. Washington’s support for its Syrian affiliate, the YPG, has been a major strain on bilateral relations with Ankara.
The U.S. primarily partnered with the YPG in northeastern Syria to fight against the Daesh terrorist group. On the other hand, Türkiye strongly opposed the YPG terrorist group’s presence in northern Syria. Ankara has long objected to the U.S.’ support for the YPG, a group that poses a threat to Türkiye and terrorizes locals, destroying their homes and forcing them to flee.
Under the pretext of fighting Daesh, the U.S. has provided military training and given truckloads of military support to YPG terrorists, despite its NATO ally’s security concerns.