Turkey paying price for US alliance with PYD: Defense Minister

Turkey and the region are paying the price for the United States choosing the YPG militia as a partner in the fight against Daesh, Turkish Defence Minister Fikri Isik said on Friday.

Speaking to broadcaster Haberturk, Isik said Washington was giving weapons to YPG militia, which Ankara sees as a hostile force, but added that it would be too much to say that it is doing it on purpose and to trigger terrorism in Turkey.

The YPG is an extenson of the PKK terrorist group, which has claimed a series of deadly attacks in Turkey, the most recent a car bombing in the western city of Izmir which killed two people on Thursday.

The Defense Minister also said that progress was slowed by efforts to avoid civilian casualties, as clashes against Daesh has spilled into the streets of Al-Bab, Syria.

The Turkish Armed Forces and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) have have been besieging the Daesh-held city for weeks with tanks and war planes as part of the Euphrates Shield Operation to clear the area of the terrorist organization.