More than once, US plans in northern Syria have centered on mass training of fighters for some faction that they are keen to prop up. Officials say 3,500 more fighters for the Kurdish SDF will be trained in 2023.
In the past those training missions have gone poorly, with the US trying to train new factions in the area, and watching their fighters quietly take their equipment and defect to al-Qaeda.
The SDF seems less likely to defect, as an established rebel group, but the group has become infamous itself for how it operates, including being one of the biggest recruiters of child soldiers in all of Syria.
US training of SDF recruits when many of those recruits are child soldiers is going to be complicated. It is interesting that the US remains comfortable aligning itself with the SDF.
At least most of the time. The US has largely backed away from SDF support when the Turkish military attacks them, but when they decide they want a training mission, the beneficiaries are ultimately the same SDF.
More U.S. taxpayer money hemorrhaging.
“Training” is the Pentagon excuse word for illegally being in Syria…!
For being everywhere since the 1950’s.
You mean be a servant of Erdogan is legal
The US has no right to be in Syria , wheres the UN when it`s needed ?.
The US is trying to set up a Kurdish state.
That is opposed by everybody else. Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria, everybody.
Besides the US, only Israel really wants that state, and it wants it mostly to harm those who don’t want it, as a base to use against them.
Well said Mark!
Kurd was organized city-state and East India Company before WW1, destroy last kurdish Amarat (city-state) and if America seek balanced Middle East, kurd can create it
In the whole article there is no mention that SDF are Kurds. Not just any Kurds, these are mostly YPG that was dismantled folliwing Turkish incursion into Syria. YPG is loyal to PPK the Turkish Kurd militants that are openly supported by EU countries. Who is funding PKK, its enormous armed militia? There was time when Kurds controlled both sides of Syria-Turkish border. Not any more. Once ISIS was on the border happily trading Syrian oil with Kurds in Turkey. Our neocon dominated media then blamed Erdogan for that! Now, Russia and Syria patrol border between Jarabulus up to Kobane. But north towards Hassakah, US and SDF exercise control. YPG agreed with Damascus to demilitarize and cease operations. They let Syria back into Manbij, an Arab town once controlled by YPG. But after the danger of Turkish offensive subsided, they just joined US supported SDF.
Now, fearing Turkish incursion, they are again besieging Damascus for protection. Kurds do it all the time. They lied to Damascus before Turkks ousted YPG from Afrin. They lied again before Turkish action aliong border. As soon as operation was over, back to harassing Manbij Tel Abyyad. and others.
This time, as always, nobody is asking Kurdish population. Do they want to be run byTurkish PKK by proxy, or SDF, US outfit.
The problem for SDF is that US wants them to simulate ordinary Syrians, thus recruiting poor Arab childrem. US insists they are SYRIAN DEMOCRATIC FORCES. Syrian, not Kurdish. Because they are deployed in areas where Kurds are a small fraction of population.
Turkey does not want PKK to be the central force that with US and EU help influences, arms and indocrinates Syrian and Iraqi Kurds. In Iraq, Peshmerga is still strong, and PKK “democratic” something outfiit in Iraq were US favorites. US allowed PKK afiiates in Iraq occupy Sinjar and Kurkuk. Later, PKK did not move a finger to defend them against Iraqi government after Mosul fell to Iraqi forces.
So, now Turkey, with sikent support from Dammascus, Russia, Iran and Iraq. Silent — as none of them want to alienate Kurdish populace at large. And ALL of them want Turkey aline to confront US. If any one of then supported Turkish action, US will tajke advantage of it to criticize Turkey. By standing alone as a NATO member confronting armed militants on its territory — and spreadvof PKK militancy into Syria and Iraq – Turkey can fight its own battle. Anybody else giving it support will make it more difficult for Turkey to stand up to US.
I am hoping that after all these years we can get better insights into what is really going on.
The hypocrisy of US policy on this issue is mind boggling…
We are as audacious as Israel!
agree
I bet the Turks are going to love that.
Us know kurd are on thier side of and knows kurd support diversities of believes; as idea which democrats is based on, while Erdogan is islamist