The SDF is a coalition of armed groups fighting ISIS in northern Syria; it is dominated by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) and is a key US ally in Syria.
Ankara vehemently opposes the United States’ relationship with Kurds in northern Syria, who Turkey believes are a branch of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a named terrorist group.
Turkish leaders have accused the US of trying to distinguish between good terrorists and bad terrorists. All terrorism is bad, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during the G20 leaders’ meeting in early September, urging the US to present a common front with Turkey against terrorism.
The US has tried to mediate between its two allies and keep them focused on fighting ISIS.
“We are eager to go after Raqqa now. There is a real opportunity to crush the caliphate,” the Guardian quoted a senior US administration official saying, noting that tensions between Turkey and the Kurds have lessened since the YPG withdrew to east of the Euphrates, leaving the west bank under Turkish and Free Syrian Army control after those forces seized them from ISIS this summer in Operation Euphrates Shield.
“Our entire strategy revolves around working with the most capable forces. Sometimes these forces don’t get on, but we are seeking to reduce the friction points between them,” the official added.
The confirmation that the US is sending arms to forces in northern Syrian comes a week after the New York Times reported that the US was considering arming Syrian Kurds directly to bolster the war against ISIS on the ground in advance of an offensive to liberate the key city of Raqqa.
