Kurds refuse to comment on US deployment to Syria

QAMISHLO, Syrian Kurdistan (Kurdistan24) – On Wednesday, dozens of US soldiers and officers reportedly arrived at Syria’s northeastern Rmeilan airbase, after President Barack Obama announced on Monday that 250 Special Forces soldiers will be send to Syria.

A UK-based Arabic-language newspaper, Rai al-Youm, wrote on Wednesday that 150 US soldiers and officers arrived at Ramilan airport that is under the control of the Kurdish forces (YPG).

Despite a wave of similar reports, no official in the Kurdish administration in northeastern Syria has confirmed the deployment of US troops to Syria’s northeastern Kurdish areas (Rojava).

However, a former official in the Kurdish administration told Kurdistan24 that reports are true, "because when US officials declare something, they have already done it."

“The US troops might have arrived in Syria a long time ago, but the US administration is talking about this matter now,” said Idris Nassan, a Syrian Kurdish political analyst and a former Foreign Affairs Minister of Kobani district in Rojava.

“Rojava administration cannot talk openly about any ground coordination with US troops for many strategic reasons, or because the US administration does not want it to be officially known,” Nassan said.

He further noted that the Kurdish administration denied these reports to avoid negative reactions by Turkey and Syrian regime.

He pointed out that if the deployment of US troops has not been confirmed yet, the existence of US experts coordinating with the Kurdish YPG forces is true and certain.

“On the ground, there are US experts coordinating in the military operations and airstrikes between US-led coalition and YPG and this is one of the most important reasons behind the victories against IS in Kobani,” he said.

Reporting by Hisham Arafat

Editing by Ava Homa