Syria
The White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby speaking to reporters in Washington DC on January 14, 2025. Photo: State Department/screengrab
WASHINGTON D.C - The White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby said on Tuesday that their partnership with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS) is “really strong.”
He told Rudaw during a press briefing that ISIS “looking to try to take advantage of the uncertainty in Syria right now.”
He added that they conduct operations against ISIS in partnership with the SDF, emphasizing that “that partnership remains really, really strong, and we still want to keep it continuing now
He stated that they understand Turkey’s concerns in the area but they want the SDF to focus only on the fight against ISIS.
Kurdish forces in northern Syria are under intensified attacks by Turkey and Turkish-backed militants, who have taken the strategic towns of Tal Rifaat and Manbij since late November, at the same time the Islamist-led Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) was amid a blistering offensive that toppled Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
The clashes are especially intense near the crucial Tishreen Dam and Qere Qozaq bridge on the Euphrates River that leads to the symbolic Kurdish city of Kobane on the Turkish border.
Turkey considers the People’s Protection Units (YPG), the backbone of the SDF, as the Syrian front for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and has threatened to carry out a military offensive against them.
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