ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said the US did not abandon Kurdish forces in Syria on Friday. Following criticisms from many in Congress over the US not preventing Turkey from attacking the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Esper said US troops are still with the group in the country. “To be clear, we are not abandoning our Kurdish partner forces,” he said during a briefing at the Pentagon. “US troops remain with them in other parts of Syria.” On Sunday, the US announced Turkey would begin its long-planned operation to attack the SDF in northeast Syria. Turkey considers the main Kurdish group in the SDF - the People’s Protection Units (YPG) - the Syrian branch of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) that has fought Turkey for decades. The US struggled to placate Turkey’s concerns with the YPG being on its border all year. The US backed the YPG and SDF against the Islamic State (IS), but the US is also a NATO ally of Turkey. US President Donald Trump said last week that the US would be leaving Syria to stop “endless wars.” However, Casper said Friday that US troops remain in the country, and only 50 special forces members were moved to avoid clashes between Turkey and the SDF. “I will not place American service members in the middle of a longstanding conflict between the Turks and the Kurds,” said Esper. “This is not why we are in Syria." The civilian leader of the US Department of Defense said the US is still opposed to Turkey’s military operation and that he told this to his Turkish counterpart, despite their alliance via NATO. “The impulsive action of President Erdogan to invade northern Syria has put the United States in a tough situation, given our relationship with our NATO-allied Turkey,” said Esper. The Trump administration is now considering sanctions against Turkey. Another concern for the US is the status of ISIS prisoners and families the SDF is guarding in Syria. SDF leaders have repeatedly said they have to abandon them to protect their border from Turkey. In comments exclusive to Rudaw on Friday, SDF spokesman Mustafa Bali said guarding ISIS detainees “is no longer our responsibility.” Esper said that two members of “the Beatles” - the British ISIS members infamous for beheading US journalist John Foley and others - were transferred to US custody by the SDF and are now outside of Syria. US-Turkey ties were further complicated on Friday when Turkey reportedly shot at US troops in Syria by mistake, according to the US outlet Newsweek.
