“The latest statement reveals that the U.S. still cannot or does not want to comprehend the reason, purpose and nature of Operation Olive Branch,” Deputy Prime Minister and government spokesman Bekir Bozdag said through his Twitter account on March 20, AFP reported.

He rejected the U.S. claims that the Turkey’s operation against the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) in the northern Syrian district of Afrin negatively affected the ongoing struggle against IS, describing the accusations as “groundless and false."

His remarks came after statements by U.S. State Department Spokeswoman Heather Nauert and Pentagon spokesman Rob Manning over the implications of the Afrin operation on the anti-IS fight.

“We are very concerned about the effect fighting there has had on our defeat IS efforts and would like to see an end to the hostilities before [IS] has the opportunity to regroup in eastern Syria,” said Manning late on March 19.

The State Department went a step farther, saying IS has already begun to rebuild in places.

“The fighting in western Syria over the last two months, including in Afrin, has distracted from the defeat IS campaign and provided opportunity for IS to begin reconstituting in some areas,” Nauert said in a statement on late March 19.

“We are also concerned over reports of looting inside the city of Afrin. We have repeatedly expressed our serious concern to Turkish officials regarding the situation in Afrin,” it added.

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