Abandoning Kurdish allies means withdrawal from ISIS war: Official
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – If the United States abandons Syria’s Kurds, then they are withdrawing from the war against ISIS, a senior political leader in northern Syria stated.
“We can’t judge what the Americans are thinking,” Elham Ahmed, co-chair of the Syrian Democratic Council, the SDF’s political wing, told The Associated Press on Monday. “But one thing is obviously clear, and that is if the Americans turn their back on their only partners [in Syria], it means they will withdraw from the fight against Daesh in the Middle East.”
“If they really decide to stop the support, this means they are giving a chance for Daesh to re-appear and spread,” she added, using an Arabic acronym for ISIS.
The United States is under pressure from NATO ally Turkey to end its support for Kurdish armed forces in northern Syria – the YPG, which is the dominant force within the umbrella group SDF. Ankara deems the YPG terrorists, an extension of the banned PKK. The Syrian Kurdish forces deny the charge.
The United States, as part of the global anti-ISIS coalition, is backing the Kurdish forces in the war against the extremist group in northern Syria, providing arms, military equipment, tactical support, and airstrikes.
Two weeks after Ankara complained that American weapons supplied for the war against ISIS had been used against Turkish forces, the Pentagon announced they are “reviewing pending adjustments to the military support provided to our Kurdish partners.”
A statement from the White House and comments from the coalition indicate this review comes as the focus in the war shifts to stabilization.
Ankara, after a phone call between Presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Donald Trump, claimed the American leader had pledged stop arming the YPG.
The coalition has stated that it will continue to provide assistance to their allies on the ground in Syria focused on defeating ISIS.
The SDF ousted ISIS from the city of Raqqa in October and are currently battling the militants in eastern Deir ez-Zor province. They have progressed along the eastern bank of the Euphrates River, coming within a few kilometres of the Iraqi border over the weekend.
The SDF are in control of about a quarter of the country.
“We can’t judge what the Americans are thinking,” Elham Ahmed, co-chair of the Syrian Democratic Council, the SDF’s political wing, told The Associated Press on Monday. “But one thing is obviously clear, and that is if the Americans turn their back on their only partners [in Syria], it means they will withdraw from the fight against Daesh in the Middle East.”
“If they really decide to stop the support, this means they are giving a chance for Daesh to re-appear and spread,” she added, using an Arabic acronym for ISIS.
The United States is under pressure from NATO ally Turkey to end its support for Kurdish armed forces in northern Syria – the YPG, which is the dominant force within the umbrella group SDF. Ankara deems the YPG terrorists, an extension of the banned PKK. The Syrian Kurdish forces deny the charge.
The United States, as part of the global anti-ISIS coalition, is backing the Kurdish forces in the war against the extremist group in northern Syria, providing arms, military equipment, tactical support, and airstrikes.
Two weeks after Ankara complained that American weapons supplied for the war against ISIS had been used against Turkish forces, the Pentagon announced they are “reviewing pending adjustments to the military support provided to our Kurdish partners.”
A statement from the White House and comments from the coalition indicate this review comes as the focus in the war shifts to stabilization.
Ankara, after a phone call between Presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Donald Trump, claimed the American leader had pledged stop arming the YPG.
The coalition has stated that it will continue to provide assistance to their allies on the ground in Syria focused on defeating ISIS.
The SDF ousted ISIS from the city of Raqqa in October and are currently battling the militants in eastern Deir ez-Zor province. They have progressed along the eastern bank of the Euphrates River, coming within a few kilometres of the Iraqi border over the weekend.
The SDF are in control of about a quarter of the country.