A senior Syrian Kurdish official said Washington would undermine the campaign against Islamic State militants and Americans would lose their place in the region’s fight against terrorism if they “turn their back” on their only ally in Syria — the Kurds. Ahmed said nothing in the statements specifically indicates the arms supply would stop, but she added that the “vague” phrasing appears aimed at appeasing Turkey. Ankara sees the Syrian Kurdish fighters as an extension of its own insurgent group it labels “terrorists.”Such vague statements can be a double-edged sword, Ahmed said. She spoke to The Associated Press in a series of text messages from northern Syria late on Monday. There are now about 1,500 US troops in Syria that initially came to train and support the SDF in the anti-IS campaign.

Source: Egypt Independent November 28, 2017 13:41 UTC