ARMING KURDS

Turkey, which considers Kurdish fighters to be terrorists, says it’s a dangerous move

WASHINGTON

THE United States has started arming Syrian Kurds with heavy machine guns, anti-tank weapons and other arms, a critical step in preparing a pivotal part of the force that will carry out the final assault on the Islamic State’s (IS) de facto capital of Raqqa, Pentagon officials said.

The weapons deliveries follow the Trump administration’s decision last month to arm the USbacked Kurdish militias over the objections of Turkey, an important North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ally that considers the Kurdish fighters to be terrorists.

“The US-led coalition has begun issuing arms and equipment to Kurdish elements of the SDF,” Colonel Ryan S. Dillon, a US military spokesman in Baghdad, said on Tuesday, using the abbreviation for the Syrian Democratic Forces, which consists mostly of Syrian Kurdish and Arab militias.

He said the equipment provided included “small arms, ammunition, heavy machine guns” and anti-tank weapons to use against “heavily armoured vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices”.

US military commanders have long argued that arming the People’s Protection Units (YPG), a Kurdish militia fighting alongside Syrian Arab forces against IS, was the fastest way to seize Raqqa.

Washington believes the YPG is the most effective fighting force against IS in Syria. But, Turkey has strongly objected to such a move, raising fears of a backlash that could prompt the Turks to curtail their cooperation with the US in the struggle against IS.

In a statement on Wednesday, Turkey’s top National Security Council said US support for the YPG ran counter to the spirit of friendship and alliance.

Ankara said it was an “extremely dangerous” move, and urged Washington to reverse its “mistake”.

“Such steps are extremely dangerous for Syria’s unity and territorial integrity,” Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said.

“If we are looking for stability in Syria, we should row back from those mistakes.”