Russia-Turkey tensions mount with war of words

gulfnews.com

Moscow, Istanbul: Tensions between Russia and Turkey mounted as the two countries stepped up their military action in Syria in support of opposing sides in the conflict, amid an increasingly bitter war of words.

At the heart of the dispute is the role of Kurdish fighters in Syria, who are backed by not just Moscow but also by the US and other western countries but whom Ankara views as antagonists.

On Monday Russia, itself under growing international criticism over its bombing campaign in the country, called for UN condemnation of Turkish shelling in northern Syria.

The Russian foreign ministry said Turkey’s actions had hit Syrian towns “recently liberated from the terrorists” by the Syrian army and Kurdish fighters, and had “killed and wounded many in the civilian population, destroyed infrastructure and residential buildings”.