Turkey denies blocking retreat of Kurdish forces in Syria: Official

Turkey on Saturday denied Kurdish forces' claim that Ankara is blocking their pullout from a proposed safe zone along the border under a US-brokered agreement.

"YPG is disseminating false information to sabotage the Turkey-US agreement," a senior official told AFP, referring to Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) deemed by Ankara as a terrorist group linked to outlawed Kurdish militants in Turkey.

"By spreading fake news, YPG terrorists are challenging President (Donald) Trump," the official said.

The commander of Kurdish forces in Syria, Mazloum Abdi, earlier Saturday accused Ankara of sabotaging the agreement with Washington by blocking the withdrawal of his forces from a flashpoint border town in northeastern Syria.

The Turkish official said Ankara was in coordination with Washington about the pullout.

"We are on the same page with the United States," he said.

"The Turkish military provided detailed information, including coordinates, with the United States to facilitate the YPG's withdrawal."
"President Erdogan and President Trump showed real leadership to make this deal happen. It's bizarre to think that we'd violate an agreement that we like."