US fully transparent to Turkey about weapons delivered to YPG: Embassy

The U.S. embassy in Ankara has denied recent Turkish media reports that the U.S. had sent arms to the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) in Syria, stressing that Washington was fully transparent to Turkey about the weapons sent to the group. 

"Inaccurate reports by several outlets over the past few days have erroneously claimed that the United States has sent 'tanks' and 'hundreds of truckloads of weapons' into Syria to support the YPG," the embassy said in a written statement on Aug. 3. 

It said the reports by state-run Anadolu Agency ignored basic facts about the current situation in Syria, adding that the U.S. had not provided tanks to any groups fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Syria.

"The majority of U.S. military assistance, which consists primarily of light weapons and ammunition, has supported Syrian Arab Coalition [SAC] elements of the SDF [Syrian Democratic Forces]. The Syrian Arabs who comprise the SAC are fighting to expel Daesh and regain control of their homes. A much smaller percentage of weapons given to Kurdish elements of the SDF are limited, specific to task and are only provided due to their importance in helping achieve the goal shared by all of us - i.e., the capture of Raqqa and the destruction of Daesh. We continue to provide full transparency to the government of Turkey as to what weapons are being delivered to the YPG," it said, using an Arabic acronym for ISIL.

The vast majority of trucks crossing the Iraqi/Syrian border do not contain military equipment or supplies, according to the U.S. embassy, instead  they contain foodstuffs, medicine, and other essential supplies needed to ensure the health and safety of internally-displaced persons within Syria and to help them meet...