ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A number of senior US officials have met with Kurdish authorities in northeast Syria (Rojava) to discuss issues including the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS), the economic situation and Kurdish unity talks.
The US State Department’s National Security Council Director for Syria Zehra Bell, Near Eastern Affairs Deputy Assistant Secretary for Levant Ethan Goldrich, and for Iraq, Jennifer Gavito, met with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and its political arm, the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC), according to a statement issued by the department on Monday without specifying the location and time of the meeting.
They discussed “regional stability, intra-Kurdish relations, economic conditions, and the ongoing fight against ISIS,” the statement read.
“Discussions with the SDC focused on the stabilization of liberated areas in northeast Syria, to include addressing the challenging economic situation; increasing humanitarian access and improving conditions for IDPs; and the importance of human rights and accountability,” it noted.
The economic crisis in Syria has worsened recently due to US sanctions on the country and the devaluation of the Syrian pound against the dollar. The closure of most of Rojava’s border crossings, including one with the Kurdistan Region, has made life even harder for people.
Poverty and unemployment have forced many Rojava residents to take illegal routes to the Kurdistan Region since the border crossing was closed in December.
Rojava is also home to a number of camps for the displaced, including the notorious al-Hol camp which holds around 56,000 people - mostly wives and children of ISIS fighters. Despite calls from Kurdish and US officials urging the international community to repatriate their nationals, only a few countries have responded positively.
The January 20 prison break by the Islamic State (ISIS) in Hasaka alarmed the international community to the threat ISIS continues to pose in the region. Following the incident, the SDF called again for the acceleration of repatriations.
“Discussions with the SDF focused on ongoing counter-ISIS efforts, security at al-Hol, and repatriation and detention needs after the January 20 ISIS attack on Hasakah [Provincial Security Forces] PrISF detention center,” the statement continued.
The meeting coincides with the 11th anniversary of the Syrian uprising.
Syrian Kurds have been Washington’s main allies on the ground in the fight against ISIS since the group controlled swathes of land in Syria and Iraq in 2014. The US has provided ammunition and military support to the SDF as well as mediating between Kurdish ruling and opposition parties.
However, US officials have repeatedly said that their support for Syrian Kurds is limited to the fight against ISIS. Washington has refused to support Kurds when it comes to Turkey’s attacks on Rojava. It reportedly even gave the greenlight for Turkey’s military campaign against the SDF in northern Syria in 2019.
Army Lt. Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, who has been appointed by US President Joe Biden as the next commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM), testified at a Senate Armed Service Committee hearing for his confirmation to assume the position, on February 8, 2022.
“I have worked with our Kurdish partners and found them to be very reliable and very capable. I have worked with them since 2004 on my first tour in Iraq and as recently as the counter-ISIS fight up to 2014. I have found them to be incredibly capable and reliable partner[s],” he said.
Biden said on February 3 that his country will continue working with the SDF.