LONDON (AP) – U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to protecting Turkey at a meeting Thursday. It was the first face-to-face meeting of top officials from the two nations since the Pentagon announced the U.S. would arm Syrian Kurds in the fight to oust Islamic State militants from the group’s stronghold in Raqqa.
Pentagon chief spokesperson Dana White said Mattis reiterated U.S. commitment to protecting Turkey, which is deeply opposed to the arms agreement and has called for its reversal. She said both leaders affirmed their support for peace and stability in Iraq and Syria.
Turkey believes the U.S.-backed Syrian Kurds, known as the YPG, are terrorists. But the U.S. is convinced they are the most effective local fighting force against IS. Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim publicly criticized the decision, saying Wednesday that the U.S. can’t use one terrorist group to fight another.
The two met for about half an hour before the start of an international conference in London on security threats and humanitarian crises in Somalia.
A senior U.S. official said Thursday the U.S. will be increasing joint intelligence-sharing with the Turks, in an effort to help them better target terrorists. The move, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, is part of the assurances to Turkey, which is concerned that the weapons will end up in the hands of its enemies.