U.S. halts patrols with Kurds in Syria

WASHINGTON — U.S. forces have stopped joint military patrols in northern Syria to counter Islamic State extremists, as Turkish threats of a ground invasion stymie those missions with Kurdish forces. Other more limited security patrols by U.S. and Kurdish troops, particularly around prisons, will begin again today, officials said.

U.S. Central Command stated Friday that American troops have paused all of the joint operations with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces against IS in Syria. The Pentagon had said Thursday they were ongoing but reduced.

“The SDF continues to conduct patrols and maintain security at the al-Hol displaced persons camp and the detention facilities,” said Army Col. Joe Buccino, the Central Command spokesman. “We remain committed to the enduring defeat of ISIS.”

The U.S. said the Syrian Democratic Forces’s decision to pause its missions against the Islamic State group triggered the U.S. decision to do so as well.

A Kurdish military official, who was not authorized to provide an official statement and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the other partnered patrols will begin today in the border area. The U.S. said those patrols are not to counter the Islamic State militants.