Syrian Kurdish official praises US decision to provide arms

Washington eager to expel Islamic State from Raqqa, sees Kurdish forces as best placed force for the task

By AP 10 May 2017, 3:50 pm

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Illustrative: This undated image posted online Monday, May 1, 2017, by supporters of the Islamic State militant group on an anonymous photo sharing website, purports to show an Islamic State fighter firing his weapon during clashes with US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, in the northern Syrian province of Raqqa. (Militant Photo via AP)

BEIRUT, Lebanon — A top Syrian Kurdish official on Wednesday welcomed the US decision to arm Kurdish fighters with heavier weapons, saying it would “legitimize” the force as it prepares to march on Raqqa, the de facto capital of the Islamic State group.

But the decision, announced by the Trump administration Tuesday, is sure to rattle Turkey, which considers the Syrian Kurdish group, known as the YPG, to be a terror organization.

The YPG forms the backbone of the Syrian Democratic Forces, which has driven the IS group from much of northern Syria with the help of US air support. The US is eager to expel IS from Raqqa and sees the Syrian Kurds, who are among the most effective fighters in the country, as the best placed force for the task.

Ilham Ahmed, a top official in the Syrian Democratic Forces’ political office, said the decision to provide heavier arms carries “political meaning” and “legitimizes the YPG and the Syrian Democratic Forces.”

This April 30, 2017 photo shows a fighter from the SDF carrying weapons as he looks toward the northern town of Tabqa, Syria. (Syrian Democratic Forces, via AP) — This April 30, 2017, photo shows a fighter from the SDF carrying weapons as he looks toward the northern town of Tabqa, Syria. (Syrian Democratic Forces, via AP)

She said the decision is likely to be met with “aggression” from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is to visit Washington next week.

The SDF’s rapid advance against the Islamic State last year prompted Turkey to send ground forces across the border for the first time in the more than six-year-old civil war to help allied Syrian opposition forces to battle IS and halt the Kurds’ progress.

Since then, Turkey is believed to have positioned more than 5,000 troops in northern Syria, and has escalated its airstrikes and cross border artillery attacks against the Kurdish forces.

A Turkish air raid in late April killed 20 YPG fighters and media officials, prompting the US to deploy armored vehicles along the border in a show of support for the group.