US Increases Arms Supplies to Syrian Kurds

Washington has increased its arms supplies to the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), which is operating on the territory of Syria.

Photo: tgrthaber.com.tr

The US has stepped up arms supplies to the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), which is considered as a terrorist organization by Ankara, the Turkish Anadolu news agency reported, citing its own unnamed sources.

Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that he has evidence of support of terrorist groups in Syria, including the Islamic State and the PYD, by the US-led coalition.

As Anadolu reported last week, US Ambassador to Turkey, John Bass, said that Washington does not provide direct support for the PYD. However, according to the news agency, only in the last two weeks, US weapons have been delivered to Hasakah governorate, located in northern Syria, three times – both by air and by land. Anadolu noted that even on the day, when the US ambassador made his remarks, a plane with weapons landed at the Rumelan air base. These weapons were reloaded into helicopters of the US Air Force and sent to other parts of the country.

According to the agency’s sources, the last large delivery of weapons to northern Syria took place on Tuesday evening. In addition, it was noted that ten trucks left the area of Erbil in northern Iraq and arrived in the areas of Syria, controlled by the self-defense forces of Syrian Kurds.

Meanwhile, clashes between the PYD and the Turkish Army on the territory of Syria are ongoing. Last week, the Turkish Air Force and units of the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) launched several attacks on Afrin Canton, located between the cities of al-Bab and Manbij in northern Syria, the Sputnik news agency reported, citing Defense Minister of Rojava, Abdo Ibrahim. As a result, a local militia fighter was killed and several civilians were wounded, some of them were hospitalized in serious condition.

On December 25, the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) approached the Euphrates Dam in northern Syria, in response Turkey sent new military reinforcements to its army and allied rebel groups, stationed in the area. According to the Anadolu news agency, the reinforcement included at least “10 tanks and 8 armored vehicles.”