With just over two weeks before Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s long-sought meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington, why did Turkey bomb and kill the United States' top allies in the fight against the Islamic State in Syria? The timing of the attack on April 25 has left many pundits scratching their heads. Turkish artillery strikes against the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) in an area stretching from Kobani to Serekaniye were reportedly continuing today. YPG sources contacted in northern Syria said the attacks had expanded to include the town of Tell Abyad, which Turkey and its Free Syrian Army rebel allies have been eyeing for some time.

In a breaking development, the Turkish General Staff announced that there had been 13 separate attacks on 11 Turkish border posts from YPG-controlled areas.

Turkey’s formal justification for the wave of airstrikes against the Syrian Kurdish group that left 25 militants dead and 30 others wounded goes something like this: The YPG is no different from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Both pledge allegiance to imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan. So let’s cut the crap about them being different.

Since 1984, the PKK has been prosecuting a bloody campaign inside Turkey, initially for Kurdish independence and now for self-rule, and is considered a terrorist group by Ankara and Washington alike. The PKK’s Syrian iteration, the YPG, are by extension also terrorists. And thanks to US air support, they now control nearly two-thirds of Syria’s border with Turkey, and pose a huge threat to Turkey's security.