US military aid and armored vehicles have been sent to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a group mostly led by the PKK’s Syrian offshoot the YPG, in northern Syria, according to reports.
Reuters on Friday released several photos of a convoy carrying military supplies and armored vehicles in northern Syria’s Hasaka city, the same location the U.S. previously sent military aid for the group.
On Saturday, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) released photos of the weapons delivery to Arab fighters as well as a recruit training center of the SDF. A tweet posted on the official account of CENTCOM also called a group of female SDF fighters “the first class of professionally trained female recruits”.
U.S. military officials have not yet released a statement regarding the alleged delivery for the group.
General Joseph Votel, the head of CENTCOM, also made a secret visit to northern Syria where he met with senior SDF officials this week.
SDF spokesman Talal Sello said that Votel “discussed the increase of coordination and support (to the SDF) in the era of Donald Trump.”
“There were promises of heavy weapons in future stages,” Sello said.
Syrian Arab Coalition recruits receive weapons-issue at end of their initial training today in N Syria pic.twitter.com/7wCqucVBnN
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) February 24, 2017
U.S. support for the SDF — which includes Kurdish, Turkmen and Arab elements — remains a source of contention between Washington and Ankara.
The SDF is primarily composed of elements of the YPG group, which Turkey sees as the Syrian offshoot of the PKK — a group designated as a terrorist organization by both the U.S. and Turkey.
Washington has refrained from following suit on the YPG but has insisted that its’ training and material support for the SDF does not include the YPG.
However, Colonel John Dorrian, a spokesman for the coalition, admitted last month that YPG forces have also benefitted from vehicle deliveries by the U.S
