ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The leader of Kurdish forces in Syria praised US soldiers and advisors working alongside his troops, calling them “a sharp knife” against the Islamic State (ISIS) group. Salih Muslim also said he was proud that US Special Forces in Syria were spotted wearing the logo of the People’s Protection Units (YPG), the military wing of the Syrian Democratic Union (PYD) which he leads. "America has supported the Kurds on many occasions and events and they are a sharp knife against ISIS," Muslim was quoted as saying. Commenting on American soldiers wearing YPG patches on their uniforms, Salih said: "it is a valuable and supportive model for us that a foreign force with (our) fighters is shoulder-to-shoulder on the same front, fighting the terrorists. We appreciate and thank them for using the YPG logo.” Photographs taken by an AFP photographer and seen around the world depicted American Special Forces along with YPG fighters in a pickup truck near the village of Fatisah, some 48 kilometers north of Raqqa. At least one of the American soldiers was wearing a YPG patch. The Special Forces are advising the Kurdish-led Syrian alliance and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that are fighting ISIS. Turkey has objected to US soldiers displaying the Kurdish force’s logo, calling it “unacceptable.” Turkey, a member of NATO, considers the YPG an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Muslim reacted to Turkey's anger at the USA for allowing its soldiers to wear YPG patches. The Kurds "need assistance from the countries and it is very important for us to have the USA backing and supporting us," Muslim said. Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said he had relayed his displeasure to the United States. He rejected an explanation by American officials that wearing the patches provided a level of protection for the soldiers. “In that case, we would recommend they use the patches of Daesh (Islamic State), al-Nusra and al-Qaeda when they go to other parts of Syria and of Boko Haram when they go to Africa,” he said, referring to terrorist organizations. On Thursday, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said that US forces wearing patches of local coalition partners is standard practice. “Special Operations Forces, when they operate in certain areas, do what they can to, if you will, blend in with the community to enhance their own protection, their own security,” Cook said. But in later comments Col. Steve Warren, the coalition’s spokesman in Baghdad, said that US soldiers were not authorized to wear the patches. “Wearing those YPG patches was -- was unauthorized and it was inappropriate and corrective action has been taken, and we have communicated as much to our military partners and our military allies in the region,” Warren said in comments on Friday.
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