Trump Approves Arming Kurds in Syria Over Turkish Objections
- Pentagon calls Kurds ‘the only force’ that can seize Raqqa
- U.S. vows support to Turkey to limit ‘security risks’
This article is for subscribers only.
U.S. President Donald Trump has approved arming Kurdish forces in Syria in the fight to capture territory from Islamic State -- a decision made over Turkey’s strong objections.
U.S. military officials contend that Kurdish fighters 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 Kurds are linked to militants in their country that the U.S. and other nations classify as terrorists. Turkey hopes the U.S. will change its decision to arm the Syrian Kurds, its deputy prime minister, Nurettin Canikli, said on Wednesday.