German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has warned of the fallout of a possible war between Turkey and Kurdish forces in Syria.
“This must not happen,” Baerbock said on Germany’s Deutschlandfunk radio on Monday. “It would help no one if the Islamic State terrorists were the ones to benefit from a conflict with the Kurds. This would pose a security threat to Syria, Turkey and Europe.”
According to Kurdish sources, Turkey and its allied militias are preparing to launch an offensive on the northern Syrian border town of Kobane. Heavy fighting has been going on around Kobane and in areas of northern Syria for some time.
Turkey has repeatedly carried out military operations against the Kurdish militia YPG in northern Syria, which it sees as an offshoot of the banned Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) and therefore a terrorist organization, and is occupying border regions there with the support of rebels.
The United States supports the Kurdish forces in northern Syria, viewing them as an important partner in the fight against the extremist militia Islamic State in the country.
Baerbock also recalled that it was primarily Kurdish forces that pushed back Islamic State.
Turkey “naturally” has legitimate security interests, Baerbock said, and like every country wants to be free of terrorism. But this should not be used “to expel the Kurds again, to cause more violence,” she added.
