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12/26/2024 03:14:37 am

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Turkey's Erdogan Opposes U.S. Plan To Send Kurdish Fighters Arms

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

(Photo : Reuters) Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan opposes U.S. plan to arm the Kurdish militiamen defending the Syrian town of Kobani from Islamic State militants' siege.

Turkey opposes the United States' plan of supplying arms to Kurdish militiamen fighting the Islamic State (ISIS) in the besieged Syrian town of Kobani, an aid of Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sunday.

Turkey's Erdogan and President Barack Obama have reportedly spoken by phone early Sunday regarding what steps to take to prevent the bloody advancement of ISIS in Syria.

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While there is little information revealed concerning the talk, Turkey has reportedly ruled out sending reinforcement arms and forces to the Kurdish fighters defending the Syrian town.

On Sunday, Ankara announced it is against Washington's plan to arm the Democratic Union Party, the group that stands in the way of ISIS that has been seeking to consolidate its forces in Iraq and Syria by overrunning Kobani.

Erdogan told a news briefing during his visit in Afghanistan that it is wrong for the U.S. to expect that Ankara would agree with Washington in its plan to support a group it has listed as a terrorist organization. His remarks were reported by the state-run Anadolu news agency over the weekend.

U.S. forces involved in dropping bombs against Islamic State positions near Kobani have been reported of sharing intelligence with the Kurdish forces.

While the U.S. airstrikes have escalated over the recent days, with six more air raids launched on Sunday, the U.S. Central Command said these are not enough to prevent Kobani's fall.

Over the weekend, the Islamic State militants appeared to be targeting Syria's border with Turkey-the city's last remaining link to the outside world. The Associated Press reported that mortar strikes hit the beleaguered town that lies at a viewing distance from Turkey. The newspaper said three mortars landed in an open field on the Turkish side of the border, but did not cause injuries.

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