UPDATE - US must cooperate to implement Manbij roadmap: Turkey

UPDATES WITH MORE REMARKS

By Sibel Ugurlu, Sena Guler and Faruk Zorlu

ANKARA (AA) - The U.S. must work with Turkey to implement the Manbij roadmap without further delay, said Turkey’s presidential communications director.

The Manbij deal between Turkey and the U.S. focuses on the withdrawal of PYD/YPG terrorists from the city to stabilize the region, which is in the northeast of northern Syria's Aleppo province.

Turkish and U.S. troops began joint patrols in Manbij at the beginning of November.

"There are some steps that the U.S. can take to alleviate the situation in Syria," Fahrettin Altun said in an article penned for Al Jazeera on Wednesday.

In the article, titled Only Turkey can protect US interests in Syria, Altun said that Washington must “coordinate with the Turkish military leadership the imminent withdrawal of US forces."

Altun stressed that the U.S. must "support Turkey's efforts to re-stabilise and rebuild terror-stricken areas."

Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly announced plans to withdraw American forces from the war-weary country.

The withdrawal plans came on the eve of a possible Turkish military operation in northeastern Syria against the YPG/PKK terrorist group.

Altun said the U.S. “unwittingly blurred” the line between Free Syrian Army (FSA) -- which is one of the legitimate players -- and the terrorists in the region by backing the YPG terrorists.

"The most recent developments in the region proved that YPG is not able to thwart the ISIL [Daesh] threat there despite receiving billions of US taxpayer dollars in assistance," Altun said, referring to recent attacks on the U.S. military in northern Syria.

The YPG is the Syrian branch of the PKK terror group, which caused deaths of some thousands of people in Turkey, including women and children.

Altun went on to say that Turkey’s only objective in Syria was to address the root causes of radicalization to deny Daesh an opportunity to regroup, to build the physical and social infrastructure to heal the wounds of war, and, by extension, prevent attacks against Turkish citizens.

Altun also addressed the "false assumption that the YPG has always been the default power-holder in northeastern Syria."

"In truth, the group seized power by force in the early stages of the Syrian civil war and, thanks to Washington's extraordinary military support, came to control large chunks of territory," he added.

Turkey has long objected to the U.S. giving support and weapons to the YPG/PYD/PKK, arguing that using one terrorist group to fight another makes no sense.

Dismissing the remarks made by U.S. secretary of state on Turkey's role in Syria, Altun said: "Many Syrian Kurds view Turkey as a safe haven, where they can be protected from hostile groups active in their country.”

Earlier this month, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that Washington is concerned that Turkey might “slaughter the Kurds.”

Altun noted that Turkey hosted many Kurds, Christians and Yazidis refugees when Daesh terror group came for them in Syria and Iraq.