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from the backstabbing-on-the-syrian-front dept.
US to stop arming anti-IS Syrian Kurdish YPG militia - Turkey
The US is to stop supplying arms to the Syrian Kurdish militia the YPG, Turkey has said. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said President Donald Trump had made the promise in a phone call to his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The White House said it was making "adjustments" to its support for partners inside Syria but did not explicitly name the YPG.
Turkey has long complained about US support for the group. Washington has viewed the YPG as a key player in the fight against so-called Islamic State (IS), but Ankara brands the group's fighters as terrorists. Turkey says the YPG is as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a group it has been fighting for decades in south-eastern Turkey. The US, however, has seen the YPG as distinct from the PKK. In May it announced it would supply arms to the Kurdish elements of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which were poised to drive IS from its stronghold of Raqqa. It had previously armed only Arab elements of the SDF.
Goodbye, Kurdistan?
Also at Reuters, NPR, Daily Sabah, and RT.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Sulla on Monday November 27 2017, @02:11AM
I have been following maps of Syria/Iraq since a little after the US pres election, maps bring in twitter comments from what is going on the ground, diplomatic wires, etc. The one I prefer is globaleventmap.org.
It appears that both Russia and the US want the Kurds to have more power within their resident countries but not to have a Kurdistan. Everytime the US steps back from supporting the Kurds for poltical reasons the Russians extend them an olive branch, the reverse happens as well. The Kurds will see a greater degree of autonomy than they had in the past in Iraq, and things are not looking bad (currently) in Syria. Overall the Kurds and Syrians have managed to avoid exchanging fire and have worked together in some of the southeast towns to roust Isis. Putin told Assad that the end of the war will mean the Kurds will get a deal like in Iraq, with positions in parliment.
Trump had us stop arming the Syrian rebels and the pockets near Jordan and Iraq evaporated, pockets by Turkey and Isreal remain. I presume that lack of full Kurd autonomy is part of the deal for these pockets going back to Assad.
Pretty positive stuff going on in the middle east. The Syrian/Isreal DMZ is sad times but necessary.
Sorry if doesnt make a lot of sense, fever+o
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam