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Trump approves plan to arm Syrian Kurds

Xinhua, May 9, 2017 Adjust font size:

U.S. President Donald Trump has approved a plan to arm Syrian Kurds, a key force in the fight against the Islamic State (IS), the Pentagon said Tuesday.

"Yesterday, the president authorized the Department of Defense to equip Kurdish elements of the Syrian Democratic Forces as necessary to ensure a clear victory over ISIS in Raqqa, Syria," Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said in a statement, referring to IS's de facto capital in Syria.

The U.S.-led coalition against the IS is backing Kurdish forces as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which comprises of mostly the People's Protection Units (YPG) Kurds along with Arabs and Assyrians, have already got on with siege of Raqqa.

"The SDF, partnered with enabling support from U.S. and coalition forces, are the only force on the ground that can successfully seize Raqqa in the near future," she added.

The approval for the plan came despite strong objections of the Turkish government, which views the Kurdish fighters as terrorists.

"We are keenly aware of the security concerns of our coalition partner Turkey," White said. "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." Enditem