The Pentagon strongly denied on Friday accusations that it had abandoned its Syr...
WASHINGTON - The Pentagon strongly denied on Friday accusations that it had abandoned its Syrian Kurdish allies to a Turkish military onslaught, which it said was destabilizing the region and doing “dramatic harm” to U.S.-Turkey relations.
Esper and Army General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said they had spoken with their Turkish counterparts repeatedly in recent days, asking them to stop. But there was no sense that Turkey would do so, they said. The Kurdish YPG is the main fighting element of the Syrian Democratic Forces which have acted as the principal allies of the United States in a campaign that recaptured territory held by the Islamic State group.
Although he acknowledged the Turkish assault was having an impact, Milley suggested some operations had continued, without elaborating. The United States this week moved two high-profile Islamic State prisoners being held by the Syrian forces out of Syria. FILE PHOTO: U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper is seen at a news briefing held with French Defense Minister Florence Parly in Paris, France, September 7, 2019. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann/File Photo
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