Key points
- Syrian Democratic Forces reaffirmed the US role in peace in Northeast Syria
- Turkey and the United States consider PKK a terrorist group
- Turkey has been threatening to launch a military operation against SDF
BEIRUT, LEBANON: US Central Command said its chief met with Kurdish-led forces in northeast Syria and urged the repatriation of foreign Islamic State fighters, as Kurds battle groups in the region.
General Michael Kurilla met US military commanders and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Thursday “to get an assessment” of efforts to defeat IS and prevent its regional resurgence, as well as “the evolving situation in Syria”, CENTCOM said in a statement.
The United States and other Western countries as well as Syria’s neighbours have emphasised the need for the country’s new rulers to combat “extremism”.
Supported by Washington, the SDF spearheaded the military campaign that ousted Islamic State (IS) group jihadists from Syria in 2019 and controls dozens of prisons and camps where thousands of militants and their suspected relatives, including foreigners, are held.
Meeting with Kurilla
SDF chief Mazloum Abdi said in a statement that he met Kurilla “recently” for a meeting that “was crucial for assessing Syria’s current situation and joint operations” against IS.
The SDF “reaffirmed the importance of strengthening partnerships and the critical role of the US in achieving a permanent ceasefire in Northeast Syria and ensuring security and stability across the entire country”, he added.
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CENTCOM, which oversees US military operations in the Middle East, said Kurilla visited the Al-Hol camp which, together with a smaller facility, houses more than 40,000 people, many of them with ties to IS.
It added that “without international repatriation, rehabilitation, and reintegration efforts,” such camps “risk creating the next generation” of Islamic State members.
IS detainees
An additional 9,000 IS detainees “from over 50 different countries remain in over a dozen SDF-guarded detention facilities in Syria”, CENTCOM said.
Both Turkey and the United States consider the PKK a “terrorist” group. It has waged a decades-long insurgency on Turkish soil.
USCENTCOM Commander Visits Syria
On 16 January, Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, commander, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), traveled to Syria, where he met U.S. military commanders and servicemembers, as well as our Defeat-ISIS partners, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), to get an… pic.twitter.com/O2Ft3FeeNz
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) January 16, 2025
Turkey has offered Syria’s new leadership operational support in the fight against jihadist groups, and even offered to help run prisons holding IS fighters.
Earlier this month, the SDF said it held talks with Syria’s new authorities and expressed support for Syrian “unity”.
During a visit to Ankara this week, Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said Syria would never allow its territory to be used as a staging ground for threats against Turkey.
Syria would “work on removing these threats”, he said, referring to the SDF, the de-facto army of the semi-autonomous Kurdish-led administration that controls swathes of northeastern Syria.
On Thursday in Iraq, Abdi met Masoud Barzani, who heads the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in the autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan region, a statement from Barzani’s office said.
It noted the need for Syria’s Kurds “to reach understandings and agreements with the new authorities”.
The United States maintains troops in northern Syria as part of an anti-jihadist coalition.
