WASHINGTON DC- The United States welcomed the deployment of Peshmerga forces to the besieged town of Kobane on Tuesday, saying it was a step to "degrade and ultimately defeat" the Islamic State.
“We have been supportive and have been discussing with the appropriate authorities, including Turkey specifically for the facilitation of the Peshmerga forces across the border," Jen Psaki, the State Department's spokesperson, told reporters.
"This (the Peshmerga deployment) is one component. One that we felt impactful and important to have a partner on the ground to work with," she added.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) gave the green light to a 150-person Peshmerga reinforcement unit equipped with heavy weapons to be deployed to Kobane.
The move follows extensive talks between the KRG and Turkish officials in the last two weeks with US backing.
"We have worked closely with Turkey and the Kurdish regional government on a sustainable way forward to support forces in Kobane over the long term to degrade and ultimately defeat ISIL,” Psaki said, referring to the group which is also known as IS and ISIS.
“That's certainly has been our role in this effort," she added.
According to the KRG’s Peshmerga ministry, the Kurdish units en route to Kobane are the most well trained and experienced.
Speaking to Rudaw on their way to Kobane, the Peshmergas expressed high morale and confidence about the deployment to Kobane.
"Peshmerga are very eager to reach Kobane and assist our brothers and sisters in Kobane and rescue them from IS," said a Kurdish officer.
In an interview with the BBC, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that moderate forces can save Kobane from falling to ISIS.
"The only way to help Kobane, since other countries don't want to use ground troops, is sending some peace-oriented or moderate troops to Kobane. What are they? Peshmerga and Free Syrian Army," he said.
While the Kurds have been the main force on the ground against ISIS -- in support of the US-led coalition -- Psaki refused to categorize the Kurdish force as a US “ally.”
"Obviously there are a range of groups and different groups are categorized differently. There isn't an overarching sweeping categorization,” she explained.
Commenting on Turkish cooperation on Kobane and the passage of Peshmerga forces via Turkish soil, Psaki said: “ultimately it was the decision of Turkey to help facilitate and they made that decision and they have spoken publicly about it.”
Meanwhile, the US Central Command declared that US and partner nations continued their airstrikes in Kobane, the Mosul Dam, Sinjar and Fallujah on Tuesday. It said IS positions and military hardware, including tanks, were targeted.
