The White House has received the Pentagon's anti-Daesh review, an updated plan of action developed in 30 days, following a directive by U.S. President Donald Trump to accelerate the fight against the extremist group.
Pentagon spokesperson Navy Capt. Jeff Davis told media that the preliminary report would function as a framework that included military and diplomatic strategies, as well as financial and cybersafety measures.
Meanwhile, Secretary of Defense James Mattis was scheduled to present his draft plan to the White House Principals Committee, as the assigned lead in preparation of the review Monday afternoon.
Davis said the members of the committee have already seen and digested the report, and there would be a discussion on the content. It reportedly included proposals on increasing military capabilities that could prove more effective against Daesh.
The review not only addressed Daesh presence in Iraq and Syria, but had a transnational approach, since the group's activities reached different countries, from Afghanistan to Libya.
The pentagon spokesperson said the plan would focus on creating a preliminary framework to defeat Daesh rapidly. He, however, refused to provide significant details saying President Trump did not want to reveal U.S. military moves to extremist groups.
Ankara, in the meantime, has been closely tracking the policy debate in Washington, under the new administration, due to the fact that the ongoing Raqqa operations were being conducted by the PKK's Syrian offshoot, the Democratic Union Party (PYD), and its Arab allies.
Several reports have suggested that the Pentagon would be in favor of increasing military aid to the PYD and its armed wing, the People's Protection Units (YPG), and supply heavy artillery, anti-tank weapons, mortars and automatic weapons to help seize the so-called Daesh capital.
Turkey firmly opposes the plan and has threatened to attack the Syrian town of Manbij, where the YPG and Arab groups were present.
An AFP report, over the weekend, claimed that the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander Gen. Joseph Votel has assured Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) officers that the coalition would protect the city from any possible Turkish incursions.
Ankara now feels duped as former U.S. President Barack Obama had promised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan that the YPG and its allies would leave the city once it was cleansed of Daesh presence.
A Turkish offensive on Manbij would seriously complicate the Pentagon's plans for Raqqa, since the YPG forces would likely flock back to defend the city, significantly diminishing the forces required for a Raqqa seizure.
Navy Capt. Davis said the Pentagon was still convinced that the Syrian Arab Coalition and SDF were the best forces to rapidly retake Raqqa from Daesh. He said no decision had been made on the specifics of the Raqqa offensive, but promised to acknowledge if any change was to occur.