The EU’s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, asked Turkey on February 15 to stop its military action in Syria after Turkish forces shelled positions held by a U.S.-backed Kurdish militia over the weekend, reports Associated Press.
EU urges Turkey to stop bombing Northern Syria
STEPANAKERT, FEBRUARY 15, ARTSAKHPRESS: “Only a few days ago, all of us including Turkey, sitting around the table decided steps to de-escalate and have a cessation of hostilities,” Mogherini said.
She said more fighting “is obviously not what we expect.”
Syrian Kurdish the People’s Protection Units (YPG) has been most effective in combating the Islamic State group, but Turkey appears uneasy over the group’s recent gains.
Turkey shelled positions held by a U.S.-backed Kurdish group in northern Syria for a second day on February 14, drawing condemnation from the Syrian government, whose forces are advancing against insurgents in the same area under the cover of Russian airstrikes.
The YPG is the main fighting force of Syrian Kurds and a key ally of the U.S.-led coalition battling the Islamic State group. Turkey, which is also in the alliance, considers it an affiliate of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which has waged a decades-long insurgency against Ankara.
