US State Dept. Quiet on Moscow's Concerns of Turkish Army on Syrian Border

US State Department spokesperson John Kirby said that he is not in a position to reaffirm, confirm, deny, argue or debate the Russian interpretation of Turkish military movements on the border between Syria and Turkey.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The United States is unable to debate or deny the Russian interpretation of Turkish intentions military movements on the Syrian border, US State Department spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Thursday.

"I’m not in a position to reaffirm, confirm, deny, argue or debate the Russian interpretation of Turkish military movements on the border," Kirby said when asked about Russian observations that Turkey might be preparing to invade Syria.

Kirby added that Turkey continues to support efforts to counter the Islamic State within Syria and has been trying to secure its border.

The head of Russia’s lower house of parliament foreign affairs committee said Thursday the Saudi-backed Syrian opposition group may have exited the intra-Syrian talks in Geneva to wait for a shift in the balance of power with Turkey’s possible intervention in Syria.

Turkey has previously deployed 250 troops and equipment in northern Iraq’s Nineveh province with a stated aim of training local troops combating the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group, outlawed in many countries including Russia, drawing international condemnation and calls to respect Iraq’s sovereignty.