Ties strained as Turkish president steps up tirade against US for backing Syrian Kurds

Just as events in Syria seem to be approaching a new climax and NATO has been drawn into the so far unsuccessful attempts to tackle the refugee crisis, Ankara has trained its sights on the country supposed to be its closest ally, the United States. For three nights running this week, President Erdogan has hit out fiercely at continuing American ties with the Kurdish Syrian PYD (Democratic Union Party) insisting that the US label it a terrorist organization and cut links with it. He is in effect asking for the US to do something which would undo the most effective wrong in the US-led international coalition against Islamic State (IS).