US Senator Lindsey Graham: We Blocked Syrian Army Advance Toward Kurdish Areas
Senator Lindsey Graham said the US blocked Syrian army advances toward Kurdish areas and has not abandoned Syrian Kurds, as Damascus announced regaining al-Shaddadi base in coordination with Washington.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - On the margins of the 62nd Munich Security Conference, US Senator Lindsey Graham reaffirmed Washington’s stance toward Kurds in Syria, stating that the United States has not abandoned them and has actively prevented Syrian army advances into Kurdish areas.
Speaking to a Kurdish Yazidi activist during the conference, Graham emphasized that the United States “has not abandoned the Kurds of Syria,” adding that Washington had “blocked the advance of the Syrian Arab Army toward Kurdish regions.”
Graham, a Republican senator in the US Senate and sponsor of the “Protect the Kurds” bill, underlined that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) remain America’s principal ally in the fight against terrorism. He stressed that the SDF “must have a rightful place in the new Syria.”
His remarks come amid developments on the ground in Syria.
On Sunday, the Syrian Ministry of Defense announced that it had regained control of the al-Shaddadi military base in Hasakah province in coordination with the United States.
According to the ministry’s statement, Syrian forces retook the base following joint coordination with the American side, describing the move as a new step within ongoing regional changes.
After the withdrawal of US forces from al-Tanf and their redeployment inside Jordanian territory, the Syrian Ministry of Defense stated that, in coordination with the American side, units of the Syrian army assumed full control of the base and its surroundings.
The statement added that the Syrian Arab Army had deployed along the country’s entire border with Jordan and Iraq in the al-Tanf desert.
US forces had previously been stationed at the base as part of the international coalition against ISIS. On Wednesday, in coordination with the Syrian army and the Jordanian government, US forces relocated to Tower 22 base inside Jordanian territory, a few kilometers from al-Tanf.
The al-Tanf military base was established in 2016 by US forces at the tri-border area between Syria, Iraq, and Jordan, with the primary objective of confronting ISIS militants and preventing the expansion of foreign military influence in the region.
As diplomatic statements and military redeployments unfold in parallel, questions surrounding the future role of Kurdish forces and territorial control in Syria remain central to ongoing developments.