US Embassy refutes Turkish media claims on Syrian Kurds armament

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – The United States Embassy in Ankara on Thursday denied reports in the Turkish media claiming the Pentagon sent “tanks” and “hundreds of truckloads of weapons” to the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) that is spearheading the war on the Islamic State (IS) in Syria.

A press release on the embassy’s website described the report, published late last month by the government-funded Anadolu Agency, as “inaccurate and ignoring basic facts about the current situation in Syria.”

The release also denied another report on the major Hurriyet newspaper alleging the US provided tanks to the YPG, the main bulk of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) battling to capture the IS capital of Raqqa.

“The majority of US military assistance, which consists primarily of light weapons and ammunition, has supported Syrian Arab Coalition elements of the SDF,” it read.

“A much smaller percentage of weapons given to Kurdish elements of the SDF are limited, specific to the task, and are only provided due to their importance in helping achieve the goal shared by all of us – the capture of Raqqa and the destruction of [IS],” the release added.

Ankara and Washington have long been at odds over the latter’s years-long overt military support for the YPG.

Turkey views the Kurdish forces as an enemy due to its ties with the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) fighting Turkish troops for larger Kurdish rights.

“We continue to provide full transparency to the government of Turkey as to what weapons are being delivered to the YPG,” said the US Embassy.

In May, President Donald Trump approved a plan to ship heavy weapons and vehicles to the YPG, despite much resentment by his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“The vast majority” of trucks crossing the Iraqi/Syrian border contain foodstuffs, medicine, and other essential supplies needed to ensure the health and safety of displaced persons within Syria, the embassy added.

Last month, another report by the Turkish state media highlighting US military bases and the French army presence in Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava) drew criticism from the Pentagon.

A spokesperson for the American campaign against IS said the US was concerned if officials from a NATO ally “would purposefully endanger” American forces by releasing sensitive information.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany