{"id":17124,"date":"2017-11-27T16:55:38","date_gmt":"2017-11-27T16:55:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2017\/11\/27\/us-still-arming-kurdish-allies-in-syria\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T01:56:56","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T01:56:56","slug":"us-still-arming-kurdish-allies-in-syria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2017\/11\/27\/us-still-arming-kurdish-allies-in-syria\/","title":{"rendered":"US still arming Kurdish allies in Syria"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The U.S. is still providing arms and weapons to Kurdish allies fighting ISIS in Syria despite recent reports suggesting the U.S. would end its support of the People\u2019s Protection Units, or YPG.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There have been no changes to the policy put forth by the Trump administration in early May that authorized the U.S. military to arm Kurdish militants fighting under the larger coalition of mixed Kurd and Arab fighters, known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, Col. Ryan Dillon, a spokesperson for Operation Inherent Resolve, told Military Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The policy to arm the Kurdish fighters has been contentious, as U.S. NATO ally Turkey views the ragtag group of fighters akin to the internationally designated terror group the Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party. President Donald Trump\u2019s announcement in May to arm the Kurds has soured U.S. relations with Ankara.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet, Kurdish activists have posted videos on social media of recent convoys sending fresh supplies, including U.S. Humvees, to the Kurdish fighters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dillon wouldn\u2019t confirm those reports, saying that he would not go into the details of how often and when supplies arrived to the U.S-backed fighters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t arm them every single day,\u201d he told Military Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A representative of the Syriac Military Council, a small group of Syriac Christians within the SDF, told Military Times that there were no changes to policy and that the SDF was continuing to receive assistance and equipment from the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters on Nov. 24 that Trump had agreed to end support of the Kurdish militants in Syria during a phone call with Turkey\u2019s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to AP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A White House readout of the call partially confirmed the Turkish foreign minister\u2019s account. \u201cConsistent with our previous policy, President Trump also informed President Erdogan of pending adjustments to the military support provided to our partners on the ground in Syria now that the Battle of Raqqa is complete and we are progressing into a stabilization phase to ensure that ISIS cannot return.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. has maintained since May that the program to arm the Kurdish militants would be metered out and on an as needed basis. And U.S. officials have routinely iterated that America\u2019s relationship with the controversial group is purely transactional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In late June, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis reassured his Turkish counterpart by saying the U.S. would take back equipment it supplied to the militants when ISIS was defeated in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\t