At the NATO summit in Vilnius, it was announced that for the first time in the history of the alliance, a coordinating body to fight terrorism would be created, and he pledged to fully support Turkey in the fight against terrorism.
But, speaking at the summit, President Erdogan criticized the United States with the words: “The perverse relationship that some of our allies have established, especially with the expansion of the PKK PYD/YPG (Kurdish units) in Syria, is detrimental to the unity and integrity of the alliance.” In less than a week, the US concentration in the region to support the PKK has once again demonstrated Washington’s support for terrorism.
According to US TV news ABC and the Seven News Network, 2,500 trained US soldiers will be deployed to the region to serve in Syria and Iraq and serve for at least 9 months.
News reports indicated that these troops would be deployed to the region at the end of July. The US is unofficially providing security for the YPG/PYD, the Syrian branch of the PKK, in the region.
The United States, hiding behind words about “threats” from Russia and Iran, sent dozens of trucks with military equipment to the region. In this context, the Washington administration has deployed the HIMARS missile system in Deir ez-Zor, which is occupied by the PKK.
Last week, a convoy of 60 trucks loaded with fuel, logistics and military equipment was sent to a US base in Hasek, another region occupied by the PKK, along with 40 trucks loaded with military equipment and heavy weaponry.
In recent days, the United States has announced that it will deploy F-16 combat aircraft in the region, using Russian and Iranian actions in there as a pretext.
A senior US Department of Defense (Pentagon) official told the AP that the US will continue to build up its forces in the region.
Turkey believes that the US is playing against it.
Meanwhile Russia continues to teach Americans “good behavior.” – A Russian fighter jet harassed a manned US reconnaissance aircraft over Syria amid ongoing tensions between the two militaries. The incident is at least the fifth interaction between US and Russian military aircraft that the US deemed unsafe or unprofessional since the beginning of the month, informs CNN.
A Russian Su-35 fighter jet flew approached a US MC-12 reconnaissance aircraft over Syria, forcing the slower propellor plane to fly through the wake turbulence of the larger, faster jet, according to statement from Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, the commander of US Air Force Central Command.
The Russian maneuver reduced the US crew’s ability to safely fly the MC-12 and put the four crew members’ lives at risk, Grynkewich said, warning that it was a “new level” of unsafe actions by Russian pilots.
“If at any point in time, any of our troops sense that it’s a hostile act – a hostile intent – they will defend themselves,” said Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Mark Milley at a news briefing. “We have a deconfliction channel that [Central Command] operates on a day-to-day basis in order to prevent any sort of incident or escalation. We’re monitoring it very closely.”
Milley said analysts are examining potential reasons behind the uptick while adding that it does not appear to be connected to the fighting in Ukraine.
The latest incident follows a pattern of similar aggressive maneuvers flown by Russian fighter jets against US military aircraft over Syria. Some of the incidents lasted as long as two hours, officials said.
On Wednesday, July 5th, three Russian fighter jets harassed three US drones flying over Syria. The Russian jets dropped parachute flares in front of the drones, forcing the operators of the unmanned aircraft to take evasive maneuvers. One Russian jet lit its afterburner in front of a US drone.
One day later, another Russian fighter jet began dropping flares in front of a US MQ-9 drone over Syria as it was conducting a mission against ISIS targets. Video of the encounter released by the Air Force showed two Russian jets flying near a US drone when one drops flares in an apparent attempt to hit the drone.
The following day, a Russian fighter jet once again harassed three MQ-9 drones, conducting 18 close passes and forcing the drones to react to avoid unsafe situations. Following the incident, the drones carried out a strike against a senior ISIS leader.
And this past Friday, a senior US defense official said another Russian fighter jet flew near an MQ-9 Reaper drone over Syria in an unprofessional manner.