SULAIMANI (ESTA) — The United States has fully restarted patrols in northern Syria with Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the Pentagon said on Tuesday, after they had been paused because of Turkish strikes in the region.
In early December, The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced the halt of all joint counter-terrorism operations with the United States and other allies as a result of Turkish bombardment on its area of control.
Back then, Turkey had ramped up its shelling and air strikes on northern Syria in recent weeks despite the fact of Ankara’s preparations for a ground invasion against the Syrian Kurdish fighters.
Ankara regards the Kurdish YPG militants who operate within SDF as terrorists. Kurdish YPG makes up the bulk of the SDF.
The SDF has long warned that fighting off a new Turkish incursion would divert resources from protecting a prison holding IS fighters or fighting IS sleeper cells still waging hit-and-run attacks in Syria.
The U.S.-led coalition has backed the SDF with air strikes, military equipment, and advisers since 2017, first helping it wrest back territory from IS and then supporting clearing operations against jihadist sleeper cells.
Since 2016 Ankara has mounted three military incursions against the Kurdish militants whom it considered as “threatening” its national security from its southern borders.
