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U.S. commander: U.S. cannot back Syrian forces who align with Assad

BAGHDAD - The United States will have to sever its military assistance to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) battling Islamic State if the fighters partner with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad or Russia, a senior U.S. general said on Sunday.

 

The remarks by Army Lieutenant General Paul LaCamera, who is the commander of the U.S.-led coalition battling Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, underscore the tough decisions facing the SDF as the United States prepares to withdraw its troops from Syria.

 

Syrian Kurdish leaders have sought talks with Assad's state, hoping to safeguard their autonomous region after the withdrawal of U.S. troops currently backing them.

 

They fear an attack by neighbouring Turkey, which has threatened to crush the Kurdish YPG militia. Ankara sees the Syrian Kurdish fighters as indistinguishable from the Kurdish PKK movement that has waged an insurgency inside Turkey.

 

But LaCamera warned that U.S. law prohibits cooperation with Russia as well as Assad's military.

 

"We will continue to train and arm them as long as they remain our partners," LaCamera said, praising their hard-won victories against Islamic State militants.

 

When asked if that support would continue if they aligned themselves with Assad, LaCamera said: "No."

 


פרסום ראשון: 02.17.19, 21:01