WASHINGTON DC—The United States said Monday that there are signs of stability and inclusive government in areas liberated by the Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria or Rojava, adding that the Kurds have waged an effective war against the Islamic State (ISIS).
“What we have always urged on the ground is that as areas of northern Syria are liberated by these forces, that we see stability return, that we see an inclusive government in place – and by “inclusive” I mean all ethnicities and all religions,” said Mark Toner, deputy spokesman for the State Department.
Toner’s statement dismissed reports that the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) were expelling Arab residents from the area as was reported several months ago by some media outlets.
Supported by coalition air power the YPG which includes fighters from other Syrian minorities such as local Arabs and Christians, has successfully pushed ISIS out of many Kurdish areas and advanced close to the group’s capital of Raqqa.
Syrian opposition groups accused the YPG of ‘ethnic cleansing” in the summer, particularly after the Kurds liberated the city of Kobani and fought their way further east along the Turkish border.
Washington has in the past acknowledged the effectiveness of the Kurdish forces in Syria as was pointed out by Toner, and according to a Washington Post report last week, the US has decided to arm them directly through the Kurdistan Region.
If true, this decision implies a major shift in US policy towards Syrian Kurds whereas Washington has been cautious about direct communication with the YPG due to Turkish sensitivities.
Toner stressed that the US distinguishes between the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and the YPG.
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