France will try to “ensure the security” of the Syrian Kurds who partnered with the United States to destroy the Islamic State’s caliphate, a top French diplomat pledged Thursday, even after the U.S. withdraws from Syria.
“In the coming weeks, France will endeavor to ensure the security of all U.S. partners, including the Syrian Democratic Forces,” said Agnes Von der Muhll, a Foreign Affairs Ministry spokeswoman.
The SDF is dominated by Syrian Kurds in the northeastern part of the country, who provided the most effective local ground force for the campaign to reclaim territory held by ISIS. The cooperation angered Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who worries that the group will join with Turkish Kurds and try to form a new state. President Trump’s decision to exit the country clears the way for Turkey to attack the former U.S. partners.
“The United States must take the protection of the populations of northeastern Syria and the stability of this area into consideration in order to avoid any further humanitarian tragedies and any return by the terrorists,” the French diplomat said.
Erdogan has been threatening to renew attacks on the Syrian Kurds, drawing a warning from the United States last week.
“Unilateral military action into northeast Syria by any party, particularly as US personnel may be present or in the vicinity, is of grave concern,” the State Department and the Pentagon told Kurdistan 24. “We would find any such actions unacceptable.”
The unexpected decision to end American operations in Syria would remove the barrier of the U.S. military. And so the Syrian Kurds are heading to Paris on Friday for support.
“The two co-chairs of the Syrian Democratic Council (MSD) Riad Darar and Ilham Ahmed are expected in Paris,” Khaled Issa, a spokesman for the group, is quoted as saying by the Turkish Daily Sabah.
