Turkey's foreign ministry has summoned US ambassador John Bass after a US state department spokesman said Washington did not consider the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) a "terrorist" organization, Turkey's Anadolu Agency reported Wednesday.
Turkey views the PYD as an affiliate to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which it also views as a "terrorist" group, and which Turkey has been involved in a military offensive against in southeastern Turkey since July.
Washington and other allies have supported the Syria-based PYD as a rebel group fighting against Daesh.
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his anger on Sunday after a delegation, including senior US diplomat Brett McGurk, met with Kurdish fighters in Kobani.
"Kurdish fighters have been some of the most successful in going after Daesh inside Syria. We have provided a measure of support, mostly through the air and that support will continue," said state department spokesman John Kirby.
Erdogan urged Washington to show preference to Turkey, a NATO member, rather than the PYD. Kirby maintained that the US understands Turkey's concerns, but "even the best of friends aren't going to agree on everything."
