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US concerned about more Turkish attacks on Kurds in fight for Raqqah

Forces of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) (file photo)

US military officials are concerned about more attacks by Turkey against Kurdish forces fighting to push Daesh Takfiri terrorists out of their de facto capital, Raqqah, in northern Syria.

The United States is sending 200 additional forces to Syria apparently to back up an offensive by the People's Protection Units (YPG), fighting for Raqqah.

A senior US official told military.com that the Kurdish forces are “the horse we're riding to Raqqah."

The Kurds’ “biggest concern is the Turks behind them,” not the terrorists they are facing in battles, added the official.

On August 24, the Turkish air force and special ground forces kicked off Operation Euphrates Shield inside Syria in a declared bid to support the so-called Free Syrian Army and rid the border area of Daesh Takfiris as well as fighters with the YPG and Democratic Union Party (PYD).

The US has, meanwhile, been providing the Kurds with support as part of a so-called coalition allegedly to tackle ISIL.

The Turks "hate who we're working with," the senior official said.

Iraqi Kurdish leader Massud Barzani (2nd-L) greets US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter (L) upon his arrival on December 11, 2016, in Arbil, the capital of the Kurdish autonomous region in northern Iraq. (Photo by AFP)

Disregarding that, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said earlier on Sunday that the US would dispatch the additional 200 forces.

"The United States will deploy approximately 200 additional US forces to Syria, including Special Operations forces, trainers, advisors, and explosive ordnance disposal teams," Carter said at a major address on Middle East policy at a security conference with Arab leaders in Bahrain.

"These uniquely skilled operators will join the 300 US special operations forces already in Syria, to continue organizing, training, equipping, and otherwise enabling capable, motivated, local forces to take the fight to ISIL, and also bringing down to bear the full weight of US forces around the theater of operations like the funnel of a giant tornado," he added.

Carter’s speech was expected to be his last one on Middle East security as the US future president, Donald Trump, has vowed to assign retired Marine General James Mattis at the helm of the Pentagon.


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