Turkey confirms U.S. promise of ending weapon supplies to Kurds

ANKARA, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Turkey confirmed Saturday that the United States would no longer provide the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its armed wing People's Protection Units (YPG) with weapons in Syria.

Turkish Presidential Spokesman Ibrahim Kalin and U.S. National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster agreed on the move in a phone call Friday evening, said the Turkish presidency in a statement.

Kalin and McMaster emphasized the necessity of taking into consideration Turkey's legitimate security concerns regarding the situation on its Syrian border.

Both sides have agreed on closer coordination during Turkey's Operation Olive Branch in Afrin to prevent misunderstandings, according to the statement.

The Turkish military launched the cross-border Operation Olive Branch with Free Syrian Army to fight the Syrian Kurdish militia on Jan. 20, targeting the YPG elements in the Kurdish enclave through airstrikes and land forces.

YPG is the military wing of PYD, a group in northern Syria that Ankara has deemed a "terror group" for its links to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Enditem