US Air Force Colonel John Dorrian speaks from Baghdad. Photo: Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Amid reports that the United States will scale back its support for Syrian Kurdish forces retaking Raqqa, the international anti-ISIS coalition spokesperson told Rudaw TV on Friday that the US-led coalition hasn’t made any concrete policy changes and it continues to work with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), who are predominately Kurdish.
“Well actually no decision’s been made on that at this time,” the coalition’s spokesperson Col. John Dorrian said. “That’s something that is being considered now in Washington, and we’ll have to see how that plays out. I’ve seen the same coverage that you have. That’s as much insight as I have to offer.”
Dorrian was referring to the Washington Post’s report of current US President Donald Trump scrapping former President Barack Obama’s plan to increase support, including arms, for Kurds who have been imposing a crescent siege on ISIS’s Syrian stronghold of Raqqa for the past three weeks.
Policy experts speculated earlier this week that the coalition explicitly providing armored vehicles to the Syrian Arab Coalition (SAC), a group within SDF, signaled a US policy shift.
“What I can tell you is that we continue to work with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and, in their group, the Syrian Arab Coalition to isolate this city and make sure Daesh are not able to do external attacks and plan those plots in Raqqa, and then execute them anywhere in the world,” Dorrian said, using an Arabic acronym for ISIS. “So it’s very important that Raqqa be isolated. We continue to work with them on that.”
The main Kurdish group within SDF is the People’s Protection Units (YPG), which Turkey considers to be a terrorist organization linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
“The US provides our weapons to the Syrian Arab Coalition,” Dorrian reiterated. “Now the Syrian Arab Coalition is fighting side-by-side with the SDF, and there are YPG elements in there. But all the weapons we provide are to the Syrian Arab Coalition. They are responsible for these weapons, they are given to them for their use, and that’s the way this program is executed.
Dorrian said he sees ISIS on the run and that trend will continue.
“In Syria, it’s nearly 30 percent of the territory that Daesh used to control has been returned to Syrian forces. So this is an important part of the campaign. Now we’ll continue to assess the operation and make any changes that are required,” Dorrian said. “But ultimately, Daesh has not won a battle with any of partnered forces in more than a year. They are going to continue losing, and losing ground, and this will continue to accelerate.”
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