US to supply arms to Syrian Kurds despite Turkey`s protests
Photo: reuters
US President Donald Trump has endorsed a plan to supply arms to Syrian Kurds participating in operations against the Islamic State. The supplies include heavy machine guns, mortars, anti-tank weapons, armored cars and engineering equipment.
The decision was made after long controversies with Turkey, a NATO ally, opposing arms supplies to the Kurds after decades of fighting against Kurdish separatists.
“Turkey has objected vociferously to such a move, raising fears of a backlash that could prompt the Turks to curtail their cooperation with Washington in the struggle against the Islamic State,” the New York Times reports.
The plan was advanced by the American military, who consider the Kurds’ participation vital for the success of the operations to free Mosul and Raqqa, the two ISIS strongholds. They consider them the most experienced and capable part of the anti-ISIS coalition.
Eliminating ISIS was one of the important points brought forth in Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.
