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Turkey 'won’t be duped' by US in Syria

Washington’s decision to place a bounty on the heads of the PKK leadership has been met with suspicion and derision in Ankara.

U.S. troops are seen during a patrol near Turkish border in Hasakah, Syria November 4, 2018. REUTERS/Rodi Said - RC1C4759D040
US troops are seen during a patrol near the Turkish border in Hasakah, Syria, Nov. 4, 2018. — REUTERS/Rodi Said

Turks have a saying for occasions when they receive unexpected gifts that leave them suspicious about the givers’ motives rather than delighted: “It’s not a holiday, so why did my brother-in-law kiss me?”

This was the feeling among Turkish government officials after US Deputy Secretary of State Matthew Palmer announced last week that the Americans had put bounties on the heads of the leaders of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is outlawed by Turkey as a terrorist organization.

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