State: No crisis with Turkey after U.S. troops wore Kurd patches

“No,” spokesman Mark Toner said when asked if U.S.-Turkey relations are falling apart after the incident, which was captured in photos. The pictures showed U.S. troops to be wearing patches worn by members of the Kurdish People’s Protection Unit, or YPG.

“[W]e understand Turkey’s concerns, and let me make that clear,” Toner added. “And we continue to discuss this as well as other concerns that Turkey has regarding Daesh and regarding issues … concerning northern Syria.”

Overseas reports on Friday said Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said it was “unacceptable” for the U.S. troops to be disguised as YPG members.

While the YPG has been taking out Islamic State forces, it has also gained territory and has become a threat to Turkey’s borders. According to Business Insider, Cavusoglu said Turkey can’t have the U.S. aligning so closely with the group.

“It is impossible to accept it,” Cavusoglu said. “This is a double standard and hypocrisy.”

Turkey also argued that the YPG has ties to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, known as the PKK. Toner said the U.S. continues to believe that there are no connections between the two groups, but then seemed to contradict himself by saying it’s possible there are some ties.

“I can’t rule out that there are some connections,” he said. “I can’t categorically say there there’s not, you know, any connections, but we have made very clear that the YPG is a separate entity from the PKK.”

Toner also rejected the idea that the U.S. and Turkey have opposing goals in Syria, given the U.S. backing of the YPG.

“No, it does not, because the goal here is to destroy and degrade Daesh and remove them from the battlefield,” he said. “It’s a goal we share with all members of the ISSG, it’s a goal we share with all members of the anti-Daesh coalition.”