As US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken concludes his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, a US Democratic senator has stressed the need for the US to distance itself from Turkey and its allied Syrian National Army (SNA) forces.
“Attacks from Turkish-backed militants are making it harder for the U.S. and our partners, the Kurds, to prevent ISIS from reorganizing in Syria. These attacks must stop — we cannot allow ISIS to regain its footing during this uncertain transition period,” senator for Maryland Chris Van Hollen posted on social media platform X on 12 December.
“As we bid good riddance to Assad, and hope for a better future for the Syrian people, we must remain vigilant regarding the threat of ISIS and continue to support our partners the Syrian Kurds. This is not a time to let our guard down,” Van Hollen said earlier this week.
Van Hollen is one of an increasing number of voices calling for the US to back up its Kurdish allies, and to prevent the Turkish-backed SNA, which includes former jihadist fighters, from sparking an ISIS resurgence.
