Turkey threatens to attack US-backed Kurdish groups in 2 days

Ankara, Jan 16: Tensions between Turkey and US-backed Kurdish militias in control of northern areas of Syria approached boiling point on Tuesday after the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s threat of imminent military action to secure the border area was met with a defiant message from Kurdish groups that they would stand their ground. Erdogan, Turkey’s hardline leader, told lawmakers from his Justice and Development Party (AKP) that military action against the YPG (People’s Protection Units) militias, which Ankara regards as a terrorist organisation, could begin within the next two days, Efe news agency reported. The escalation in military rhetoric from Turkey came after the US-led coalition in Syria announced military blueprints to establish a 30,000-strong border force. (IANS)