Turkey accuses Syria’s Assad of arming Kurdish militants

PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkey's foreign minister accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of arming a Kurdish militant group that has fought the Turkish state for decades, potentially exacerbating a conflict which has killed more than 40,000 people, Reuters said.

Clashes between the Turkish army and Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants have intensified in recent weeks east of the border with Syria in southeast Turkey. Ankara is concerned the PKK is exploiting the chaos in Syria to expand its influence.

On Thursday suspected PKK militants ambushed a Turkish military bus in the western province of Izmir, killing a soldier and wounding at least 11 people.

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told Turkish media while travelling to Myanmar overnight that Assad had given weapons to the PKK, which has established a presence in the towns of Kobani and Afrin in northern Syria.

"Assad gave them weapons support. Yes - this is not a fantasy. It is true. We have taken necessary measures against this threat," news websites reported the minister as saying.

There was no immediate comment from Damascus. In an interview with a Turkish newspaper at the start of July, Assad denied that Syria had allowed the PKK to operate on Syrian territory close to the Turkish frontier.

Davutoglu's comments spelled out allegations previously made by lower-ranking Turkish officials.

Turkey suspects a major Syrian Kurdish movement, the Democratic Union Party (PYD), of having links with the PKK. Turkish analysts believe Assad let the PYD take control of security of some towns in northern Syria to prevent locals from joining the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA).

Relations between Ankara and Damascus have deteriorated to lows unimaginable just a few years ago, when Turkey cultivated "good neighborly relations" with Assad, easing border controls and taking part in joint military exercises.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan is now one of Assad's harshest critics and has raised the possibility of military intervention in Syria if the PKK becomes a threat there.