U.S., Turkey at odds over Kurds in Syria

The United States has angered Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with plans to support a Kurdish-led force in securing the border between Syria and Turkey. The Kurdish militia, known as the People’s Defense Units, or YPG, helped defeat Islamic State (ISIS) in northern Syria with the help of a U.S.-backed coalition. Supporters want the Kurds to maintain a force of 30,000 troops along the border to prevent the resurgence of ISIS in Syria. But Erdogan considers the YPG a terror group affiliated with other Kurdish rebels that have attacked inside Turkey. He called on NATO Tuesday to support his stance, but NATO, which has no presence on the ground in Syria, deferred to the U.S.-backed coalition. Turkey is planning an incursion into the Kurdish-controlled enclave of Afrin in northern Syria, Erdogan said.