ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The United States has committed an additional 203 special forces to the anti-ISIS war in Syria, the US Secretary of Defense announced on Saturday.
“I can tell you today that the United States will deploy approximately 200 additional US forces in Syria,” Ashton Carter said in Manama, Bahrain, AFP reported.
The additional troops will join the 300 already in Syria assisting in the campaign to liberate Raqqa from ISIS and will “directly assist NATO ally Turkey in the counter-ISIL fight,” the US Central Command tweeted.
US special forces have been on the ground in northern Syria assisting the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the war with ISIS, to Turkey’s repeated objections.
Ankara considers the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) to be an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a named terrorist organization. Turkish leaders have called out the United States on several occasions for their support of the YPG and SDF, accusing them of making a distinction between good and bad terrorists.
The US considers the SDF a key ally and the most capable force on the ground, taking on ISIS in northern Syria.
Turkey launched its own anti-terror campaign in northern Syria in the summer. Turkish forces are backing the Free Syrian Army (FSA) to clear a zone along the Turkey-Syria border of ISIS and YPG “terrorists.”
The FSA and Turkish army have clashed with Kurdish and SDF forces in the region.
The United States has walked a fine diplomatic line, trying to maintain its relationship with both its allies and keep the guns pointed at ISIS, not each other.
“I can tell you today that the United States will deploy approximately 200 additional US forces in Syria,” Ashton Carter said in Manama, Bahrain, AFP reported.
The additional troops will join the 300 already in Syria assisting in the campaign to liberate Raqqa from ISIS and will “directly assist NATO ally Turkey in the counter-ISIL fight,” the US Central Command tweeted.
+203 US spec ops forces will in part directly assist NATO ally Turkey in the counter-ISIL fight
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) December 10, 2016
US special forces have been on the ground in northern Syria assisting the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the war with ISIS, to Turkey’s repeated objections.
Ankara considers the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) to be an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a named terrorist organization. Turkish leaders have called out the United States on several occasions for their support of the YPG and SDF, accusing them of making a distinction between good and bad terrorists.
The US considers the SDF a key ally and the most capable force on the ground, taking on ISIS in northern Syria.
Turkey launched its own anti-terror campaign in northern Syria in the summer. Turkish forces are backing the Free Syrian Army (FSA) to clear a zone along the Turkey-Syria border of ISIS and YPG “terrorists.”
The FSA and Turkish army have clashed with Kurdish and SDF forces in the region.
The United States has walked a fine diplomatic line, trying to maintain its relationship with both its allies and keep the guns pointed at ISIS, not each other.
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