US colonel calls Turkish soldiers ‘terrorists,’ spreads PKK/PYD propaganda

A U.S. colonel serving in the American-led coalition in Syria on Sunday spread pro-Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) propaganda on Twitter.

U.S. Colonel Sean Ryan shared a scandalous tweet on his official Twitter account calling Turkish soldiers “terrorists.”

The tweet was later removed after the colonel came under fire from social media users who were outraged by the fact that a high-ranking U.S. military official would spread anti-Turkey propaganda.

Colonel Ryan even went as far as blocking German journalist Julian Röpcke who criticized him for retweeting the PKK propaganda, which landed the U.S. military official in more hot water.

The move prompted the journalist in a tweet to ask when it became okay to block journalists for doing their job.

Ryan was again forced to backtrack, unblocking Röpcke on Twitter.

Colonel Ryan’s outrageous retweet comes as the U.S. provides protection for PKK/PYD terrorists digging tunnels on Turkey’s southern borders.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan last week said Turkey was set to launch an operation east of the Euphrates "within a matter of days to save it from a separatist terrorist organization", referring to the PYD/PKK.

A possible mission east of the Euphrates, which Turkey’s leadership has been suggesting for months, would follow two successful cross-border Turkish operations into Syria since 2016 – Operation Euphrates Shield and Operation Olive Branch – both meant to eradicate the presence of YPG/PKK and Daesh terrorists near Turkey’s borders.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union and the United States. The PKK has been conducting armed violence in the southeastern part of Turkey since 1984. More than 40,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the three-decade long conflict.