Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan slammed U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton on Tuesday for promising that Turkey will not attack the Kurds fighting the Islamic State in Syria.
“We cannot accept Bolton’s messages given from Israel,” said Erdoğan, adding that Bolton made a “serious mistake,” according to Reuters.
The United States has been providing the Kurdish People’s Protection Units, or YPG, weaponry, air support and other support to combat ISIS since 2015, with the militias experiencing thousands of casualties being in the U.S.-led coalition.
In The New York Times on Tuesday, Erdoğan praised U.S. President Donald Trump for deciding to withdraw forces from Syria. The decision has reportedly been scaled back amid backlash from Republicans on Capitol Hill, in addition to others on the national and global stage.