Kurdish commander says SDF will work with the U.S. in Syria again
The United States and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces are apparently linking up again to continue their joint fight against the Islamic State, SDF commander Gen. Mazloum Abdi said Wednesday.
It looked like there was a fracture in the alliance between the U.S.-led coalition and the SDF after U.S. troops left northeast Syria, allowing Turkish forces to invade the region. That led to violence between Turkish and Kurdish forces, and was widely considered a major betrayal by Washington, although a fragile cease-fire was eventually brokered.
Now, though — if Abdi's announcement does indeed represent the direction the U.S. is heading — it appears the two sides have reconciled after a series of meetings. If the circumstances hold, it would also mean the SDF won't be joining up with the Syrian regime.
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There is not yet word from Washington on the matter.
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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.