US official urges ‘de-escalation’ as Turkey strikes Syria

By BASSEM MROUE
Associated Press

BEIRUT (AP) — A U.S. official currently in Syria is calling for an “immediate de-escalation” following days of deadly airstrikes and shelling along the Syria-Turkey border. Nikolas Granger, the U.S. senior representative to northeastern Syria, said in comments posted on Friday that the actions destabilize the region and undermine the fight against the Islamic State group. Turkey this week launched a wave of airstrikes on suspected Kurdish rebels hiding in neighboring Syria and Iraq, in retaliation for a deadly Nov. 13 bombing in Istanbul that Ankara blames on the Kurdish groups. The groups have denied involvement in the bombing and say the Turkish strikes have killed civilians and threatened the anti-IS fight.