Servet Günerigök
04 February 2022•Update: 04 February 2022
WASHINGTON
Ben Hodges, a former commander of US forces in Europe, advised President Joe Biden on Thursday to end assistance for the YPG/PKK terrorist organization.
Speaking at a virtual discussion with the Hudson Institute's Senior Fellow Michael Doran, Hodges called US support for the group in Syria an "irritant" for Turkiye.
"Even those who are not here Erdogan supporters, which is about half the country, are really annoyed about this YPG support," said the former commander, referring to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
He also urged Biden to visit Erdogan in Ankara within the next three months.
US support for the YPG/PKK has been one of the top disputes between the two nations after Washington backed the terror group in the fight against Daesh/ISIS in 2015.
Despite Ankara's security concerns, the US has not ceased its support since then.
Turkiye’s president has long objected to US support for the YPG/PKK terror organization for the purported purpose of fighting Daesh/ISIS, saying that using one terrorist group to fight another makes no sense.
