Associated Press

ANKARA, Turkey –  Turkey’s prime minister says Syrian Kurds have been warned against taking “wrong and dangerous” steps toward Kurdish autonomy in Syria.

said a Turkish official made the warning to Saleh Muslim, the leader of a Syrian Kurdish militant group, who met Turkish intelligence officials in Turkey on Friday.

Turkey is concerned because Syrian Kurdish militants have been strengthening their power in areas bordering Turkey and because of reports that their aim is to form an autonomous region.

The Syrian Kurdish group — affiliated with Turkey’s own autonomy-seeking Kurdish rebels — took control of a town on the border with Turkey after fighting radical Islamic groups.

Erdogan said: “The necessary warning was made that the steps they are taking are wrong and dangerous.”