US understands Türkiye's legitimate security concerns regarding PKK/YPG: White House

The US reiterated Tuesday that it understands Türkiye's legitimate security concerns along its border with Syria in connection with threats from PKK/YPG terrorism.

"We understand that Türkiye has legitimate security concerns along that border. Turkish citizens, Turkish towns, Turkish cities have come under attack by terrorists from across that border," White House National Security Council Spokesman John Kirby told reporters.

"They absolutely have a legitimate right to be able to defend themselves against terrorist attacks. We understand that, and we are in active conversations with the Turks about how we do that, how they do that," Kirby added.

He said the US does not want to "see our operations of a nature that compel our SDF partners to focus on other things than the counter ISIS mission."

Kirby said the US presence in Syria aims to prevent ISIS (Daesh) from regrouping in the wake of regime leader Bashar Assad's exit in December.

"That's what we're focused on now. We conduct that mission," he said, adding that the US partnership with the PKK/YPG-led SDF forces will continue.

In its 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK-listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US and the European Union-has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children and infants. The YPG is PKK's Syrian offshoot.

The terrorist PKK/YPG has sought to exploit the uncertainty since the Assad regime's fall to step up efforts to establish a "terrorist corridor" along the border with Türkiye.