Erdogan worried about American aid to Kurds

Turkey's President, Recep Tayip Erdogan, has told US Defence Secretary James Mattis that Ankara is concerned because of United States support for Kurdish militia, known as the YPG, which Turkey considers a terrorist group.

Secretary Mattis arrived on a one-day visit to Turkey yesterday after he remained in Iraq to steal progress in the campaign against the extremist group, the Islamic State.

Po with President Erdogan, he in Ankara met with Turkish Defence Minister Nurettin Canikli.

Turkey is an important ally in NATO for the United States and is part of the coalition fighting against Islamic state militants.

But Ankara is offended that Washington has armed the Kurdish group, YPG (Kurdish People's Protection Unit), for the attack on the town of Raca, in northern Syria, which is the basis of the Islamic State militants.