The U.S. military presence in northern Syria to combat the terrorist organization Daesh is still worth the risk eight years on, according to Army General Mark Milley.
Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, flew on Saturday to Syrian regions occupied by the PKK and its Syrian wing, the YPG, to assess efforts to prevent a resurgence of Daesh and review safeguards for American forces against attacks, including from drones flown by Iran-backed militia.
“General Milley visited Northeast Syria today to meet commanders and troops,” Joint Staff spokesman Col. Dave Butler told reporters.
“While there, he received updates on the counter-ISIS mission, inspected force protection measures, and assessed repatriation efforts for the Al Hol refugee camp,” Butler added, referring to Daesh by an alternative acronym.
While Daesh is a shadow of the group that ruled over a third of Syria and Iraq when it declared a so-called "caliphate" in 2014, hundreds of fighters are still camped in desolate areas where the Syrian army, with support from Russia and Iranian-backed militias, and YPG terrorists backed by the United States struggle to exert full control.
Thousands of other Daesh fighters are in detention facilities supervised by the YPG, the Syrian extension of the PKK, recognized as a terrorist group by Türkiye and described as “key ally” by Washington.
Asked by reporters traveling with him if he believed the deployment of around 900 U.S. troops to Syria was worth the risk, Milley tied the mission to the security of the U.S. and its allies, saying, “If you think that that’s important, then the answer is ‘Yes.’”
“I happen to think that’s important. So, I think that an enduring defeat of ISIS and continuing to support our friends and allies in the region ... I think those are important tasks that can be done,” Milley said.
According to U.S. media outlets, the mission carries risk. For example, four U.S. troops were wounded during a helicopter raid last month when a Daesh leader triggered an explosion. The same month, the U.S. military shot down an Iranian-made drone attempting to conduct surveillance on a patrol base in northeastern Syria.
Three drones targeted a U.S. base in January in Syria’s Al-Tanf region. The U.S. military said two of the drones were shot down while the remaining drone hit the compound, injuring two YPG terrorists.
U.S. officials believe drone and rocket attacks are being directed by Iran-backed militia, a reminder of the complex geopolitics of Syria where Syrian President Bashar Assad counts on support from Iran and Russia and sees U.S. troops as occupiers.
America also considers NATO ally Türkiye’s potential offensive in Syria against PKK/YPG terrorists “a threat” to its troops and so-called partners.
U.S. Army Major General Matthew McFarlane, who commands the U.S.-led coalition against Daesh, described attacks against U.S. forces as a “distraction from our main mission.”
McFarlane cited progress against Daesh, including the reduction in internally displaced people at refugee camps – a pool of vulnerable people Daesh could recruit.
The al-Hol camp houses more than 50,000 people, including Syrians, Iraqis, and other nationals who fled the conflict, and McFarlane estimated around 600 babies were born there yearly.
The general said he believed there would be a time when U.S. partners in Syria could manage independently. But there is no publicly known target date to complete that transition.
“Over time, I envision us transitioning when the conditions are met, where our partners can independently have a sustainable capacity and capability to keep ISIS in check,” he said.
Alongside the EU, both Washington and Ankara recognize the PKK as a terrorist organization, and despite Ankara’s documentation of the fact that the YPG is, in actuality, the same terrorist group, continued U.S. support for the terrorists has been a source of significant strain between the allies.
For years, Türkiye has strenuously objected to Washington’s proven assistance, including arms, military training, and regular patrols, to the terrorists who have attacked Türkiye and taken tens of thousands of lives in the past 40 years.
The terrorist group has used bases across Türkiye’s border in northern Iraq and northern Syria to plot and carry out attacks on the country, working to create a terrorist corridor along the borderline, threatening both Syrian locals and nearby Turkish residents.
Since 2016, Ankara has been leading counteroffensives against these groups and striving to establish a 30-kilometer-deep (19-mile-deep) security line, for which Russia and the U.S. also committed support in October 2019.
The same month, Türkiye launched its Operation Spring Peace against the PKK/YPG and Daesh in northern Syria, with Washington promising that the PKK/YPG would withdraw from the region. The U.S. military then evacuated all its bases in the area, prioritizing stationing near oil fields occupied by the terrorists in the Hasakah, Raqqa, and Deir el-Zour districts. Nevertheless, it sends reinforcements worth millions of dollars to the units there.
Thanks to this help, the PKK/YPG has grown stronger in northeastern Syria, despite Washington’s promises to Türkiye that it would “consult and work closely” with Ankara against Daesh and the PKK.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan too often lambasts the U.S. for “turning a blind eye” to Türkiye’s concerns over its cooperation with the PKK/YPG despite repeated complaints, stressing that Türkiye is “committed to protecting its borders and will not seek anyone’s permission” for cross-border operations against terrorists.
