Turkish, US officials talk Syrian Kurdish town
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Turkey's Foreign Ministry spokesman says Turkish and American officials are meeting in the Turkish capital of Ankara for talks on the strategic northern Syrian town of Manbij that has driven a wedge between NATO allies Turkey and the United States.
Turkey is pushing for the withdrawal of US-backed Kurdish-led forces from Manbij and has vowed to retake the town and other Kurdish-held territory along the Syrian-Turkish border by force.
Hami Aksoy, the spokesman, said ministry officials were discussing Manbij's status with US State Department officials on Friday.
He says Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and US State Secretary Mike Pompeo would meet in Washington on June 4 to discuss the issue and other topics.
Ankara views the Kurdish militia in Syria as an extension of Kurdish insurgents inside Turkey.
