Global Geopolitical Series: U.S. to refrain from arming Kurdish YPG in Afrin as Erdogan escalates threat

As Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan escalated his threat of an immediate strike on Kurdish militia near the Syrian border, which are supported by the United States in its war against ISIS, in response to a U.S. plan to re-arm them and took his case to NATO (North American Treaty Organization), U.S. military announced that they are refraining from arming the YPG rebels.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the US-led defense block, of which Turkey has been a part for decades, must clarify its stance on the planned Afrin-based border force as envisioned by Washington. The force would be created from the Kurd-dominated YPG, which Ankara considers a terrorist organization and an extension of the Turkey-based Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militant group. In a phone call Tuesday, President Erdogan told NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg that Turkey would take all necessary precautions to ensure its national security. Erdogan added that arming Kurdish forces Ankara believes to be linked to the banned PKK party is completely unacceptable. Stoltenberg reportedly said that NATO understood Turkey’s concerns regarding the matter.

In response to Erdogan’s escalation, U.S. military official said that Syrian Kurdish fighters previously armed by the United States are no longer part of the battle against ISIL and the US-led coalition doesn't support them. The comments were the first indication by American officials that US-led forces may not intervene if Turkey follows through with a promised cross-border military operation to wipe out the group known as YPG, which controls the Afrin region along Turkey's southern border.

Erdogan's escalation followed the US-led coalition's announcement that it would train 30,000 fighters from the YPG-dominated SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces) to act as a border force in northern Syria.