Turkey Is Pissed At the U.S.!

Turkish officials made a series of furious condemnations against the U.S. spanning virtually every top official in the Erdogan government.

Erdogan, complained that as a NATO member, the US should be supporting them, and not the “terrorist organization YPG.” Turkey considers the YPG and indeed virtually every Kurdish organization terroristic.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim warned that the US would face negative consequences for arming the Kurds, and other officials accused the US of being too willing to work with terrorists. Defense Secretary James Mattis downplayed this, saying the US would quickly resolve Turkish concerns.

That’s hugely unlikely, given Turkey’s long-standing hostility to Kurds in general, and Kurdish factions with an eye on autonomy in particular. This is likely to be the major topic of discussion during President Erdogan’s visit to the US later this month.Turkish officials have in the past suggested expelling the US from Turkish airbases used in the war against ISIS to punish them for moves they consider as running contrary to Turkish interests.