Turkey gave Washington advance warning before launching an operation against US-allied Syrian Kurdish YPG forces, and Ankara has "legitimate" security concerns, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Sunday.
"Turkey was candid. They warned us before they launched the aircraft they were going to do it in consultation with us, and we are working now on the way ahead through the ministry of foreign affairs," Mattis told reporters aboard his aircraft at the start of a trip to Asia.
"And we are working now on the way ahead. We'll work this out."
Mattis said the communication took the form of a telephone call between high level Turkish and U.S. military officials. But he declined to say whether U.S. officials cautioned Turkey against the strikes.
YPG is considered a "terrorist group" by Turkey because of its ties to the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged a decades-long armed conflict in Turkey.
Mattis acknowledged that the "success against Islamic State does not remove many of Turkey's concerns," adding that it is "easy to understand" why Ankara is worried the conflict will spill over the Syrian border.
"Turkey is a NATO ally. It's the only NATO country with an active insurgency inside its borders. And Turkey has legitimate security concerns," Mattis said.
