US may let Kurdish militants to keep arms after Syria pullout: Officials

US officials say the Pentagon is considering recommending that Kurdish militants be allowed to keep American-supplied weapons after the withdrawal of troops from Syria.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, three US officials told Reuters that the recommendations were part of discussions at the Pentagon on a draft plan.

The initiative, they added, would be presented to the White House in the coming days with US President Donald Trump making the final decision.

Earlier this month, Trump ordered a quick withdrawal of all 2,000 US forces from Syria claiming victory over the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group in the war-torn country.

US media reports say the planned pullout has made anti-Damascus Kurdish militants, who have long enjoyed American support, feel abandoned by Washington.

On Friday, Kurdish YPG militants asked Damascus for protection after the withdrawal of US troops. Units of the Syrian army entered Manbij later and hoisted the national flag in the Kurdish-held city.

Turkey views the YPG as a terrorist group and an affiliate of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and threatened to attack east of the Euphrates River in northern Syria to drive out the militants.

PressTV-Syrian army enters Manbij for first time in years

The Syrian army enters Manbij, marking the return of territories held by US-backed militants to the government control for the first time in years.

Asked about possible US recommendations for leaving behind weapons provided to Kurdish militants, the Pentagon said it would be “inappropriate” and premature to comment on what will happen with the arms.

“Planning is ongoing, and focused on executing a deliberate and controlled withdrawal of forces while taking all measures possible to ensure our troops’ safety,” said Pentagon spokesman Commander Sean Robertson.

One of the American officials stressed that the US had vowed to arm the YPG until the purported fight against Daesh was complete.

“The fight isn’t over. We can’t simply start asking for the weapons back,” he added.

PressTV-US has sent 5,000 trucks of arms to Syria: Erdogan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says the US and its allies have been refusing to sell weapons to Ankara while arming Kurdish militants free of charge.

Another one noted that it would be nearly impossible to locate all of the equipment supplied to the Kurds, asking, “How are we going to get them back and who is going to take them back?”

The other US official said, “The idea that we’d be able to recover them is asinine. So we leave them where they are.”

A person familiar with the discussions of the US pullout plan said that the White House and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan would oppose the proposal to allow the YPG to retain its weapons.

The recommendation “is a rejection of Trump’s policy to withdraw from Syria,” he pointed out.

The likely US plan to leave weapons at the hands of the Kurds is expected to infuriate Ankara, which has repeatedly complained about Washington's close ties with the militants.

The US has given the Kurdish militants anti-tank missiles, armored vehicles and mortars. Back in April, Erdogan said the US had sent 5,000 trucks loaded with weapons to northern Syria.

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