WASHINGTON

 U.S. Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham have voiced support for Turkey over Ankara's policy towards the besieged town of Kobani.

Their comments, released on their official website on Thursday, came after 31 people died in a series of illegal pro-Kurdish protests across Turkey, amid accusations the government was failing to act against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) to save the mainly Kurdish-populated Syrian town on the border with Turkey.

The two US senators released a statement saying they backed Turkey’s Kobani strategy and its policy towards Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

They said: "The growing criticism of Turkey for not acting to save Kobani does not reflect the reality on the ground that both ISIS and Bashar al-Assad must be defeated."

"We certainly believe Turkey should play a greater role in the fight against ISIS, and we have disagreed in recent years with some of Turkey’s policies and actions in the Middle East, especially on Israel and the management of its border with Syria."

They went on: "In this instance, however, President Erdogan has said that we need an international strategy not just to destroy ISIS, but also to force Assad to leave power and end the conflict in Syria – for the former objective cannot succeed without the latter."

"This strategy, Erdogan has said, must include the establishment of safe zones in Syria for civilians and opposition forces, protected by no-fly zones – a strategy we have long advocated and continue to believe is vital to success in both Syria and Iraq."

The US senators also stressed that many other friends and allies in the Middle East shared their view.

"We are confident that, if President Obama adopted a strategy which took the steps that Turkish leaders are advocating to deal with Assad as well as ISIS, he would have significant support from our regional partners, including Turkish military involvement, which can be so important to success," they said.

www.aa.com.tr/en