Sibel Uğurlu
January 12, 2017•Update: January 12, 2017
By
ANKARA
Presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin Thursday criticized a Twitter claim by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that it has “no affiliation or ties” to the terrorist PKK.
"Is this a joke or @CENTCOM has lost its senses? Do you believe anyone will buy this? The US must stop trying to legitimize a terrorist group," Kalin wrote on his Twitter account.
On Wednesday, the group posted a photo of a statement on the official Twitter for U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM).
"We as the Kurdish, Arabian, Turkmen, Assyrian and Syrian factions under the umbrella of the Syrian Democratic Forces, we are confirming that our force is not a part of the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) which some regional governments are claiming to be but we are considering our self as part of Syrian nation and Syrian land," said the statement.
The YPG, the armed wing of the PYD, is one of the SDF’s founding members.
The U.S., EU, and Turkey have designated the PKK as a terror group.
According to Turkey, the YPG and PYD are terrorist organizations, too, as they are affiliates of the PKK.
However, the U.S. considers YPG/PYD a "reliable partner" on the ground in Syria and continues to support them in the field.
"This [peace] process has to include all Syrians, and that includes the Syrian Kurds," State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters on Wednesday.
Asked explicitly if the PYD should be at the table, Toner replied, "At some they have to be part of this process."
