The US must intervene more vigorously to stop the offensive by Syrian government forces, which in recent days have seized key territories previously controlled by Kurdish fighters, the head of the main Kurdish forces told Reuters, BTA reports.
Government forces launched an offensive on Wednesday in territory controlled for the past 10 years by the semi-autonomous Kurdish authorities in northeastern Syria, seizing towns on both sides of the Euphrates River as well as the country's largest oil field and a gas field, government and security officials said.
People's Protection Forces (PYD) commander Sipan Hamo said yesterday's meeting between the US envoy for Syria Tom Barak and Kurdish representatives has led to the development of a roadmap for a ceasefire. He rejected claims that the Syrian Kurds want to secede or create an independent state and said their future lies within Syria.
“Our greatest hope is for a tangible result, especially from the coalition and the United States, which means for them to intervene more vigorously in the existing problems than they are now,“ Hammo said.
Syrian troops have continued to advance despite calls from the U.S. Central Command to stop.
Hamo added that Kurdish authorities realize that Washington now has to balance its long-standing alliance with Kurdish forces, which helped defeat the “Islamic State” in Syria, and its support for the Syrian government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Given Kurdish “fears about the coming changes“, the US must offer guarantees of protection, he said.
Hamo denied that the SDF receives support from Iran or Russia, while expressing “hope that Israel will intervene to protect the Syrian Kurds“.
“We believe that the responsibility for everything that is currently happening in Syria lies with Western countries and especially the US,“ he concluded.