Coalition spokesman apologizes for sharing tweet ‘insulting’ Turkey

Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Colonel Sean Ryan, spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), tweeted an apology on the official OIR Spokesperson account late on Monday, saying he is sorry for accidentally sharing a tweet “insulting” Turkey. 

The apology comes as US-Turkey relations come under renewed strain following Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s announcement he will soon launch a military operation east of the Euphrates, where US forces are supporting Kurdish fighters in the battle against ISIS. 

“In my official capacity, I accidentally shared content that was insulting to our Coalition partner Turkey, a key partner in the mission to defeat ISIS,” Ryan’s tweet reads. 

“I meant no disrespect. We have a duty to mutual security, and we are committed to defeating ISIS. Please accept my apology.”


Ryan does not detail what was in the offending tweet or when precisely it was retweeted. However, it is likely he is referring to a tweet from November 6, which the OIR Spokesperson account seems to have shared – then later unshared – on Sunday.


Alongside a photograph of school children passing a US military vehicle at an undisclosed time and location, Twitter user @CaptainBillyBas – or Will Jamesson-Bryant – tweeted: “My favorite photo of the week. US Special Forces (Green Berets) patrolling the Rojava-Turkey border after terrorist Turkish army snipers targeted Rojavan civilians, killing a little girl walking home from school. These children are safe, protected by Green Berets.”

Screen grab taken from Tweet Deck on December 16, 2018. Photo: Rudaw / Tweet Deck


Rudaw could not independently verify the incident described in the tweet.


It is uncharacteristic of the OIR Spokesperson account to retweet such politicized content. 


Erdogan warned on Wednesday last week he would deploy troops east of the Euphrates to fight the People’s Protection Units (YPG) – Kurdish fighters that make up the backbone of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

This is despite the presence of US military personnel supporting the SDF operation to clear ISIS remnants from Deir ez-Zor and areas close to the Iraqi border. 

Such an offensive would cause serious problems for the NATO allies. 

Turkey considers the YPG an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), an armed group fighting for greater Kurdish political and cultural rights in Turkey, which is designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and the EU.  

Turkish bombardment of YPG positions near the Syria-Turkey border in November caused the SDF to suspend its anti-ISIS operation. This forced the US to intervene diplomatically and led to the creation of US-manned outposts along the Syria-Turkey border. 

Despite recent improvements in Turkey-US relations, international opposition was not enough to prevent Turkey sending troops into Afrin, northwest Syria in January this year. Turkey has also laid down roots in Idlib, where it is supporting the Syrian opposition. 

In a phone call on Friday, Erdogan and US President Donald Trump agreed to have “more effective coordination” on Syria. Turkish and US forces are already carrying out joint military patrols near SDF-held Manbij on the west bank of the Euphrates.