Turkey Views Possible US Arms Deliveries to Syrian Kurds as ‘Hostile Act’

A US decision to arm Syrian Kurds will be an act of hostility and a step away from Washington’s strategic partnership with Ankara, the chair of the ruling Turkish AKP party’s parliamentary group told Sputnik on Tuesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — US presidential contender Hillary Clinton said during Sunday's televised debate she supported arming Kurdish militias in their fight against Daesh in Syria, something that the White House was already considering.

"This is absolutely unacceptable, in our point of view. Arming terrorist elements who are openly threatening Turkish security would be considered as an act of US hostility toward Turkey," Mustafa Elitas said.

The United States regards Turkey as a key ally in the region and is using its military base to launch airstrikes on Daesh targets in northern Syria. At the same time, the US government is backing Syrian Kurds, whom Ankara considers terrorists linked to a separatist Kurdish militia active in southern Turkey.

"You could characterize cooperation between our ally [US] and Kurdish forces occupying northern Syria essentially as a ‘change of direction’ and a step away from our strategic partnership," Elitas said.

On Tuesday, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim condemned Clinton for her remark on arming Kurds and questioned Washington's tactic of fighting terrorists with terrorists.