President Trump approves plan to directly arm Syrian Kurds against Islamic State

by Itunuoluwa Adebo

According to the Pentagon, US president Donald Trump has approved arming Kurdish forces in Syria in the fight to reclaim territory from Islamic State, a decision made over strong objections from Turkey.

US military officials have argued that Kurdish forces are needed in the effort to retake Raqqa, the self-declared capital of Islamic State. But officials in Turkey, a U.S. ally and NATO member, maintain the Kurdish fighters are linked to militants in their country that the U.S. classifies as terrorists.

Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White, Tuesday in an emailed statement that the Syrian Democratic Forces, which include the Kurdish fighters, “are the only force on the ground that can successfully seize Raqqa in the near future,” “We want to reassure the people and government of Turkey that the U.S. is committed to preventing additional security risks and protecting our NATO ally.”

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