WASHINGTON DC – The United States is providing weapons to Arab opposition forces in Syria but not to the Kurdish YPG, the spokesman of the US-led coalition against the Islamic State group (ISIS or ISIL) said.
“As of now, we are not providing weapons or ammunition to the YPG,” said Col. Steve Warren, the Baghdad-based spokesman of the coalition.
“The weapons that we've provided thus far, with the ammunition that we've provided in our one airdrop that executed, was for the Syrian-Arab coalition,” he added.
There have been conflicting reports by both US defense officials and the YPG about whether the weapons dropped by US forces last month fell into the hands of the YPG or the so called Arab Syrian Democratic Forces.
Turkey, which considers the YPG a terrorist organization, has expressed concerns about close cooperation between Washington and the Kurdish group. It summoned the US and Russian ambassadors over the claims of a weapons delivery to the YPG.
Warren called Ankara a partner in the war against ISIS, saying “Turks have concerns” and Washington is “going to address those concerns.”We’re going to work with them to achieve our common goal, which is to defeat ISIL,” he said.
The Pentagon official reaffirmed that “future resupplies will also go Arab -- vetted Syrian opposition members.”
