A Syrian Kurdish leader called on Tuesday for the West to provide weapons to his forces fighting ISIS in the besieged Syrian border town of Kobani, warning that his fighters risked massacre if help did not arrive soon.
Saleh Muslim, head of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) said that his plea had so far been rebuffed by the United States and European nations, blaming Turkey for obstructing his efforts.
"We are asking everybody who can help us to provide weapons to the people fighting against tanks and artillery, but nobody is doing anything. There will be many who are martyred," he told Reuters during a diplomatic mission to Europe. “We have sent messages to the Europeans and the United States, but I think there are obstacles... Turkey and other countries are preventing this because they don't want the Kurds to be able to defend themselves."
Turkey has declined to take a frontline role, fearful partly that the military action will strengthen President Bashar Assad and bolster the Syrian Kurdish militants allied to the outlawed PKK in Turkey who have fought for three decades for more autonomy.
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