Saying that Turkey has fallen victim to terrorist attacks, whether it’s near that border or elsewhere inside the country, and they have a right to defend themselves and their citizens against attacks, Kirby claimed that the US wants to see the tensions de-escalated.
"And we don’t want to see any actions that lead to the potential of additional casualties, particularly civilian casualties," he asserted, the National News reported.
Kirby added the US does not want to witness any action that would harm their efforts to continue to work with their Syrian counterparts against ISIL.
Kirby's remarks regarding fighting ISIL come while former president Donald Trump had said that the ISIL terrorist group was founded by former US president Barack Obama.
Turkish troops could mount a ground attack on Kurdish-administered parts of northern Syria within days, officials said on Monday.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned on several occasions this year that a new offensive could be forthcoming, but despite a massive aerial attack beginning on November 20, a ground invasion has yet to happen.
Under the pretext of fighting PKK terrorists, Turkey has deployed its troops in areas of northern Iraq and Syria and is conducting aerial attacks on parts of the northern areas of these countries.
Ankara has received widespread criticism from both Iraqi and Kurdish authorities in Bagdhad and Erbil as well as the international community for violating Iraqi sovereignty under the pretext of fighting the PKK.
MP/PR