A prominent Kurdish politician said on Thursday that the United States will remain in Syria to eradicate the Islamic State and establish infrastructure, adding that it will continue to be a party in searching for a political settlement after more than a decade of civil war. The Kurds, who inhabit a mountainous region spanning the borders of Syria, Armenia, Iraq, Iran, and Turkey, established self-rule in northeastern Syria during the civil war that began in 2011. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is supported by Russia and Iran, while the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) are supported by the United States. However, former President Donald Trump withdrew most American forces from Syria in 2019, allowing Turkey to launch an offensive against the Kurds. The chaotic withdrawal of Western forces from Afghanistan raised concerns across the Middle East that Trump’s successor, Joe Biden, might abandon U.S. allies in the region as Washington seems to consider China its main strategic challenge.
However, Ilham Ahmed, a senior Kurdish politician and chairwoman of the executive committee of the Syrian Democratic Council, the political arm of the YPG, stated that the United States has made a clear commitment to the Kurds. She told Reuters after meetings in Washington with representatives from the White House and the U.S. Departments of State and Defense, "They pledged to do everything they can to destroy ISIS and work on building infrastructure in northeastern Syria." She added, "They said they will stay in Syria and will not withdraw; they will continue to fight ISIS." She noted, “Previously, they were not clear during Trump’s presidency and during the withdrawal from Afghanistan, but this time they clarified everything.”
The Kurdish minority in Syria, which has faced discrimination from the ruling Ba'ath Party, manages a civilian administration responsible for several million Syrians who were once ruled by Damascus. Ilham Ahmed specified that the Kurds requested the Americans to reopen the Al-Yarubiyah border crossing between Syria and Iraq to facilitate the entry of international aid and to play a role in aiding a political settlement. Ilham Ahmed, who met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow last month, mentioned that the Kurds also spoke with the Russians, "the key player in Syria," and are ready to engage in dialogue with Iran as well. The Kurds have also discussed matters with Damascus in efforts to find a political settlement.
Regarding her level of optimism, Ilham Ahmed stated, "We do not see many things happening in the short term... We hope that the Americans will play a more active role in reaching a political settlement in Syria, and they ought to do so."
