Turkey and the United States are set to hold a high-level military dialogue in Ankara on Dec. 11 to discuss an ongoing row over the U.S.’s alliance with the People’s Protection Units (YPG).
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander Gen. Joseph Votel and Commander of U.S. Forces in Europe Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti will meet with Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar and other senior Turkish military officials in Ankara, Turkish media reported Dec. 11.
The unannounced visit comes two weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump promised President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan that arms delivered to the YPG for the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) will stop. Some Pentagon officials also vowed that heavy weapons given to the group will be taken back.
Turkey says around 4,000 trucks of weapons have been delivered to the YPG in the last year even though the war against ISIL is almost over. It expresses concerns that the YPG will not leave territories it recently gained in northern Syria in a bid to establish what Turkey calls “a terror state.”
The U.S. views the YPG as a key player in the fight against ISIL.