↘️SDF’s role in defeating ISIS should not be forgotten: Top US general
↘️Mazloum Abdi and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were “instrumental to the defeat of ISIS”, top US general Mark Milley said in a recent interview.#SDF | #Syria | #US
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Mazloum Abdi and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were “instrumental to the defeat of ISIS”, top US general Mark Milley said in a recent interview with al-Mamlaka TV.
The general responded to a question about how the United States’ relationship with the SDF affects their own relationship with Turkey. “Turkey looks at them differently. Turkey looks at them as an enemy,” Milley said, adding that these differing views become “very problematic”.
Milley highlighted their close relationship with the SDF as he spoke about the operation to retake Raqqa from ISIS in 2017. The United States primarily provided air support and some special forces in the operation, but “It was General Mazloum [Abdi] and his troops that conquered Raqqa and ripped apart that caliphate, and that should not be forgotten by anybody,” Milley emphasised.
The general pointed out that the situation is significantly better than before, yet, remnants of the extremist group continue to pose a danger. He explained that sleeper cells of ISIS fighters still remain in Syria and Iraq, potentially capable of regrouping if conditions are favourable for their resurgence, reinstating the peril that was successfully quelled previously.
When asked about the United States’ goal in Syria, Milley reaffirmed their commitment to “ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS.” In order to secure this goal, the United States will continue to keep a “modest amount” of forces in the region, Milley added.