USA says arms drop in Syria is for Arab opposition, not Kurds

“As of now, we are not providing weapons or ammunition to the YPG”.

Pushing back against recent media claims that the Syrian Arab Coalition was invented by the USA, Warren said the weapons drops are going to the right people and that it doesn’t matter where the group came from as long as they are successful. We reaffirm our continuing support for the efforts of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s government to address corruption, decentralize certain federal authorities, and reconcile ethnic and sectarian divisions in Iraq.

The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, and the wider global community. That cooperation, the YPG on the ground backed by United States air strikes, notably paid off.

Last month, moderate rebel forces, including the Western-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) and the YPG formed a new alliance called the Democratic Forces of Syria, or SDF. He said it was entirely planned and executed by the Syrian Arab Coalition and those groups associated with it. While the PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union and Turkey, Washington does not regard the YPG in same category despite Turkish depiction of the Syrian militia as a terrorist organization. About 1,000 rebels reportedly took 255 square kilometers of ground and killed 79 ISIS fighters.

The airdrop of 50 tons of ammunition and grenades to Syrian Arab Coalition fighters on October 12 was the first step.

Asked if the 50 US special operators who will deploy there would allow the U.S.to collect more intelligence, he said their primary mission would be advising and assisting Syrian forces but that “everyone in uniform is a collector”. They were aided by 17 USA airstrikes and used the U.S.-supplied ammunition, Warren said. “The answer is yes”.

“If we’re serious about tackling ISIL, in the end we have to be prepared to strike at ISIL headquarters, which is in Syria, not Iraq”, he said. “We saw that make a difference here”.

Whether future airdrops will also include weapons, not only ammunition, has not yet been decided, Warren said.

The spokesman said the operation had pitted “well over a thousand friendly forces” against “several hundred enemies” in the vicinity, after heavy USA airstrikes had cleared the way.

“We’re willing to reinforce success and amplify our approach when it’s working well”, he said.