A US envoy announced on Tuesday that Washington’s rationale for its military alliance with the Syrian Kurds against the Islamic State (IS) group has “largely expired.”
US envoy Tom Barrack stated that the Syrian government is now considered capable of managing security in the region, diminishing the need for the partnership with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
“The original purpose of the SDF as the primary anti-ISIS force on the ground has largely expired, as Damascus is now both willing and positioned to take over security responsibilities, including control of ISIS detention facilities and camps,” Barrack said in a direct statement.
This announcement comes as the Syrian army advances in northern and northeastern Syria, displacing SDF fighters from significant territories. The SDF has repeatedly appealed for US intervention against the Syrian government’s operations.
