We’re not going to be the U.S. doing one thing and Turkey doing another,” Mr. Tillerson said. The last time Mr. Tillerson was in Ankara, he showered praise on the Turks and largely avoided listing American grievances, while receiving an earful of complaints. The seeds of the rift between the two countries were planted in 2014, as the Islamic State swept across Iraq and Syria. That announcement directly precipitated Turkey’s military offensive against Kurdish militias in the enclave of Afrin in western Syria, Mr. Altun wrote. In an indication of just how far apart the two sides remain, Mr. Cavusoglu said that Mr. Tillerson had promised that the Y.P.G.

Source: New York Times February 16, 2018 16:30 UTC