Turkey’s National Intelligence Agency (MIT) destroyed 12 trucks loaded with missiles, heavy weaponry, two tanks, and ammunition stores seized by Kurdish fighters operating out of northeast Syria, a Turkish security source said Tuesday.
MIT carried out the operation against the People’s Protection Units, or YPG, a Kurdish militia that serves as the backbone of the Kurdish-led, US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the official military wing of a quasi-official autonomous area in northeastern Syria, as well as a key American partner in the fight against Islamic State.
After troops loyal to deposed President Bashar al-Assad abandoned the equipment during their retreat from the town of Qamishli, Kurdish forces were transporting it to warehouses, the Turkish source said, noting that MIT field operatives had flagged the situation as it transpired.
Although the YPG is supported by some of Turkey’s NATO allies, namely Washington, Ankara believes the organization maintains ties to the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), an armed group designated as a terrorist organization by the US and EU.
While the MIT operation followed reports of Israeli airstrikes on Syrian army air bases in Qamishli, the Turkish source denied Israel’s involvement in targeting the area, accusing the YPG of spreading “the lie that Qamishli Airport was targeted by Israel.”
White House spokesperson John Kirby acknowledged Turkey’s legitimate counterterrorism concerns regarding the YPG while also highlighting the significant role the group continues to play in subduing Daesh remnants in Syria. He pledged to engage in “appropriate conversations” with Ankara to ensure the achievement of both these outcomes.
