U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter Daesh Brett McGurk said Turkey is right to have serious national security concerns and that the U.S should keep its NATO allies' concerns in mind. Speaking in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 8, McGurk said he has been to Turkey more than 20 times in the last two and half years, as well as taking many trips to Syria, and he stressed that there is "an unusual tension in the region" and maintaining a balance is "very difficult."
McGurk, an Obama administration appointee tasked with helping coordinate the war against Daesh, has been asked to stay in his position by President Donald Trump. Last year, McGurk met with members of the People's Protection Units (YPG), the armed wing of the PKK-linked Democratic Union Party (PYD) in Syria. Turkey sees no difference between the PKK and PYD terrorist groups and McGurk's visit angered Ankara and led to a strain in the confidence between Ankara and the former Obama administration in Washington, D.C.
"Thus, we have to be very careful. Turkey rightfully has serious national security concerns. Turkey is our NATO ally and we should keep this in mind," McGurk said. Emphasizing that the U.S.-led coalition's fight against terrorism will continue with the Trump administration, McGurk said they cannot allow the continuation of the Daesh presence in Iraq and that this situation is a threat to the U.S. He added they will continue to work to eradicate the threat.
According to McGurk, the boots-on-the-ground strategy is not the right approach for the U.S. in the fight against Daesh. "Thus we must use the local forces effectively," he added. Emphasizing the importance of liberating Raqqa to defeat Daesh, McGurk said unlike Iraq, they are not cooperating with state actors in Syria, and this issue remains one of the challenges for the Raqqa operation.
Washington had argued during the Obama administration that the YPG-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is the most effective "partner" of the U.S.-led anti-Daesh coalition. However, because of the organic links the PYD/YPG has with the PKK, Ankara has declared numerous times that one terror group cannot be used to eliminate another terror group.
Turkey, the U.S. and the EU recognize the PKK as a terrorist organization, although the EU and the U.S. do not categorize the PYD/ YPG as such. Turkey strongly opposes any PKK-affiliated group south of its border, both in Iraq and Syria, saying it constitutes a national security threat to its borders.
