US Is Demanding Turkey Give Security Guarantees for Kurdish YPG

Pompeo says troops that fought against ISIS must be protected

Though officials maintain that the US withdrawal from Syria is still on track, the Trump Administration continues to press Turkey, whose military is poised to invade the same part of Syria, for guarantees with regard to the Kurdish YPG.

Turkey considers the YPG a terrorist group, and their invasion is focused on attacking the YPG. The US, however, considers the YPG a close ally, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says they must be protected for having fought against ISIS with the US.

Pompeo spoke with his Turkish counterpart over the phone, and reiterated his commitment to supporting the YPG on this matter. Turkish officials have warned that there is no room for a compromise on this issue.

It’s not clear what this is all leading to, though recently every US demand for a guarantee for the Kurds has led to a rebuke from Turkey, and calls from US hawks to delay or even cancel the pullout.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.