Over the weekend, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu demanded that the US pledge “unconditional” military support for Turkey in the fight against the Kurdish YPG, a Syrian faction which has been the primary US ally in fighting ISIS.
“The only thing we expect from our US ally is to support Turkey with no ifs or buts,” Davutoglu insisted, reiterating the claim that the YPG was behind last week’s Ankara bombing, despite a Turkish faction, the TAK, claiming it.
Turkey has repeatedly demanded the US sever ties with the YPG, and the US has repeatedly rejected those demands. Turkish officials appear to be hoping that the Ankara bombings, and the dubious claims of YPG involvement, will force the US into shifting their policy.
With the US and Turkey both already condemning the Syrian military for its gains against ISIS however, the shift against the YPG would be tantamount to backing ISIS’ territorial claims in northern Syria, and leave the US with literally no allies in the region.