Turkey against US plans to establish observation posts in Syria

ANKARA - Turkey is uneasy about US' plans to set up observation posts in northern Syria, Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said on Saturday.

Akar said he told the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman, Joseph Dunford, during an international conference in Canada that the plans would have a very negative impact on bilateral relations.

"The US move will make the complicated situation in the region even more complicated," he was quoted by state-run Anadolu News Agency as saying.

Akar underlined that Turkish Armed Forces are taking all necessary measures to protect the country from all kind of threats, including from across its borders.

He called on US allies to cut their ties with the People's Protection Units (YPG) "as soon as possible."

Relations between Turkey and the United States have been strained because of the support provided by Washington to the YPG, which is regarded by Ankara as Syrian affiliates of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).