ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford has said that the US is working with Turkey to determine the right make-up of forces to seize Raqqa from ISIS and then govern it after the militants are gone.
“The coalition and Turkey will work together on the long-term plan for seizing, holding and governing Raqqa,” Dunford said on Sunday following his meeting with his Turkish Army counterpart General Hulusi Akar in Ankara.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) also announced the beginning of their offensive against Raqqa on Sunday.
“We always knew the SDF wasn’t the solution for holding and governing Raqqa,” Dunford stated, “What we are working on now is to find the right mix of forces for the operation.”
US officials have stressed that they know the potential dangers of having a Kurdish-majority force capturing a Sunni Arab-majority city, even if from ISIS. Consequently they have urged the SDF to recruit and train more Arab members for the assault and capture of Raqqa.
“[This operation needs] a predominantly Arab and Sunni Arab force,” Dunford said. “And there are forces like that. There is the moderate Syrian opposition, the vetted Syrian forces and the Free Syrian Army forces, and there is some initial outreach to forces in Raqqa proper.”
Dunford said there are over 12,000 Arab fighters in the SDF. He hailed this as progress.
“As we close on Raqqa, we will identify other forces from the area that are willing to support operations there,” he said, adding that the SDF is doing a great job in isolating ISIS in Syria and limiting its ability to move its forces between Mosul and its territories in Syria.
“The coalition and Turkey will work together on the long-term plan for seizing, holding and governing Raqqa,” Dunford said on Sunday following his meeting with his Turkish Army counterpart General Hulusi Akar in Ankara.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) also announced the beginning of their offensive against Raqqa on Sunday.
“We always knew the SDF wasn’t the solution for holding and governing Raqqa,” Dunford stated, “What we are working on now is to find the right mix of forces for the operation.”
US officials have stressed that they know the potential dangers of having a Kurdish-majority force capturing a Sunni Arab-majority city, even if from ISIS. Consequently they have urged the SDF to recruit and train more Arab members for the assault and capture of Raqqa.
“[This operation needs] a predominantly Arab and Sunni Arab force,” Dunford said. “And there are forces like that. There is the moderate Syrian opposition, the vetted Syrian forces and the Free Syrian Army forces, and there is some initial outreach to forces in Raqqa proper.”
Dunford said there are over 12,000 Arab fighters in the SDF. He hailed this as progress.
“As we close on Raqqa, we will identify other forces from the area that are willing to support operations there,” he said, adding that the SDF is doing a great job in isolating ISIS in Syria and limiting its ability to move its forces between Mosul and its territories in Syria.
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