The publication of the locations of the US military posts in Syria by Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency has endangered American troops, and the United States has complained to Turkey, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.
Anadolu published a report on Tuesday naming the location of 10 US military posts in northern Syria, in some cases detailing the number of US and French troops present.
According to Reuters, Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon said: “The release of sensitive military information exposes Coalition forces to unnecessary risk and has the potential to disrupt ongoing operations to defeat ISIS [the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)].”
Expressing the concerns of the US, Pahon added: “While we cannot independently verify the sources that contributed to this story, we would be very concerned if officials from a NATO ally would purposefully endanger our forces by releasing sensitive information.”
Tensions between Turkey and US have increased after a US decision to support and arm the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) in Syria against ISIL.
Turkish Presidency spokesperson İbrahim Kalın said Turkey cannot ever accept US support for the YPG, which Turkey views as a branch of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Relations between Turkey and US were also strained when US prosecutors issued arrest warrants for Turkish security guards who attacked protesters during a visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in May.