"Unilateral military action into northeast Syria by any party, particularly as US personnel may be present or in the vicinity, is of grave concern," said Pentagon Spokesman Cmdr. Sean Robertson on Dec. 12. "We would find any such actions unacceptable."
He said "coordination and consultation between the US and Turkey is the only approach to address issues of security concern in this area."
The US military is committed to working closely with the Turkish military to boost cooperation and coordination, said Robertson, adding "uncoordinated military operations" will undermine that shared interest.
"We have solemn obligations to one another's security. We are fully committed to Turkey's border security," he said.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had announced earlier Dec. 12 that Turkey will start a military operation east of the Euphrates river in northern Syria in a "few days."
"We will start the operation in east of the Euphrates in a few days to save it from the separatist terrorist organization," Erdogan added, referring to the YPG. "Turkey's target is never the US soldiers, but rather the members of the terror group."
Ankara deems the YPG as an offshoot of the PKK, which is listed a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US and the European Union.
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