WASHINGTON-US military spokesman said on Wednesday that Washington will soon start sending weapons shipments to “Kurdish fighters in northern Syria.”
Despite strenuous objections from Turkish officials, the Trump administration on Monday granted the Defense Department authority to arm the “People’s Protection Units” or YPG, which US defense officials believe is “capable of defeating ISIS in the Syrian city of Raqqa.”
“Some of the equipment is already in theater” said Col. John L. Dorrian, a spokesperson for Operation Inherent Resolve. “And some may have already begun to be dispersed,” he added, according to AFP.
Pentagon officials would not confirm if the gear includes anti-tank missile systems like the U.S. TOW or AT-4 weapons that have been fielded by the U.S.-backed armed groups.
U.S. defense officials contend that weapons provided to the YPG “will be metered out to accomplish specific objectives” as the SDF continues to isolate Raqqa, Dorrian said. The Pentagon will account for all the arms and “ensure they point at ISIS,” he added.
H.M