US rejects McGurk's alleged visit to Kobani

KOBANI, Syrian Kurdistan (Kurdistan24) – On Wednesday, Syrian Kurdish officials announced that the US Envoy to the coalition against the Islamic State (IS), Brett McGurk, allegedly visited Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava) for the second time.

Speaking to Kurdistan24, Idris Nassan, a former Foreign Affairs Minister of Kobani district in Rojava, stated that McGurk visited Kobani on Tuesday. Nassan reported that the US Envoy held a meeting with Saleh Muslim, the co-leader of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), which exercises wide influence over Kurdish areas of Syria. 

According to Nassan, McGurk held other meetings with the senior military commanders of the Kurdish forces of the People's Protection Units (YPG) and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), discussing the upcoming military campaigns against IS.

In the meeting with the PYD co-leader, Nassan said that the US Envoy discussed the upcoming campaign of liberating the city of Raqqa, the IS stronghold in Syria.

“There is no official statement about the matters that McGurk discussed with the Kurdish officials in Kobani, but fighting against IS in Raqqa is on top of the list,” Nassan said.

Although Rojava officials speaking to Kurdistan24 report the arrival of McGurk to the region, US Spokesperson for John Kerry and US Department of State, John Kirby, responded to on Twitter stating that there is "no truth" to the US Envoy's visit to Kobani.

There is currently no official statement from McGurk or his representatives, and the arrival cannot be comfirmed.

On Jan. 30, McGurk visited Rojava as a first declared trip to Syria by an Obama administration official in three years.

Following the visit, US officials pointed to the possible reaction of the Turkish government.

“US military ties with the Syrian Kurds have grown deeper despite the concerns of the NATO ally, Turkey,” Reuters reported on Feb. 1.

“[Turkey] views the Syrian Kurdish PYD party as a terrorist group because of its links to the [Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)], which is waging an insurgency in Turkey,” the report concluded.

Reporting by Hisham Arafat

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany and Ava Homa

[The US Envoy to the coalition against Da'esh (Islamic State), Brett McGurk, meets Polat Jan, a senior commander of the Kurdish forces (YPG), Kobani, Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava), Syria, January 2016. (Photo: YPG Press Office)]