US Troops Remove Kurdish Patches In Turkey Row

The US military has said American special ops troops were not authorised to wear the patches of Kurdish forces while advising them in Syria, after Turkish leaders protested.

Army Colonel Steve Warren said in Baghdad on Friday that US special operations forces have historically worn the insignia of foreign troops they are working with.

But he added this case was not appropriate because of the political sensitivities involved and the troops have been told to remove the patches.

Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said it was "unacceptable" for soldiers of a Turkish ally to use the patches of the YPG, the Kurdish People's Protection Units fighting the Islamic State group.

Turkey views the YPG as a branch of the Turkey-based PKK guerrilla movement, which it has fought for decades. The PKK is also considered a terror organisation by the US and the EU.

Photos of US special operations forces wearing the insignia surfaced this week, and Turkish leaders protested to the US.

"There's political sensitivities around the organisation that that patch represents, and that makes it inappropriate," Col Warren told Pentagon reporters.

Col Warren said Army regulations do not authorise troops to wear foreign patches.

However, the practice has gone on for years among commandos as part of an effort to connect with the soldiers they are training.

Col Warren said he was not aware of any discipline related to the incident.

"We've made the correction, so everybody's moving on," said Col Warren.

But Mr Cavusoglu rejected US explanations that the patches were for the soldiers' protection.

He said the American troops might just as well have worn the logo of al Qaeda, the IS group or Boko Haram.

At the State Department, spokesman Mark Toner said the US has made clear it does not believe the YPG is connected to the PKK.

Turkey is an ally in the US-led coalition against IS, but Ankara is displeased by the role of Kurdish fighters in northern Syria.