“Turkey has the right to defend itself and its citizens against terrorist threats, but we don’t want actions from Turkey or any other country that would endanger American lives,” said John Kirby, Director of Strategic Communications at the White House National Security Council, regarding Turkey’s Operation Claw-Sword air campaign in Syria and Iraq.
White House National Security Council Director of Strategic Communications John Kirby reiterated that “Turkey has the right to defend itself against terrorist threats, but that it should not ‘undermine the fight against DAESH.
Kirby made statements on American foreign policy at the White House daily press briefing.
Stating that they did not provide any support to Turkey’s investigation into the explosion on Istiklal Street, Kirby said, “We are not in a position right now to say exactly who was responsible for this attack. We condemned this violence then and we condemn it now.”
Kirby said that in recent days, Turkey has been “victimized by terrorism” in various parts of the country and on the Syrian border. Turkey has the right to defend itself and its citizens against attacks, he said:
“Turkey has the right to defend itself and its citizens against attacks. At the same time, we want to see a de-escalation of tensions in the region and we do not want to see any action that will lead to more civilian casualties. We continue to work with our Syrian counterparts in the fight against DAESH, DAESH remains a valid threat in Iraq and Syria.”
Asked by a journalist, “Are you giving a green light to Erdogan’s Syria operation by saying Turkey has the right to defend itself?” Kirby replied:
“Turkey has suffered terrorist attacks. But we don’t want to see any action, particularly inside Syria, that would lead to more deaths, more innocent people dying, or that would undermine our efforts to fight DAESH. We have troops in Syria fighting DAESH. We don’t want to see any action by Turkey or any other country in Syria that puts American lives at risk. American troops are on the ground here and supporting the SDF. But we don’t want to see any military action inside Syria that would interfere with our fight against DAESH with the SDF (YPG/PKK).”
Kirby said on November 22 that Turkey faces a “legitimate terrorist threat” on its southern border and has every right to defend itself.
