Kurdish-Arab forces launched a major assault against the Islamic State group (ISIS) in Syria’s Raqa province on Tuesday and Iraqi forces advanced on it in Fallujah, piling pressure on the jihadists in two strongholds.
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“These are U.S. special operations forces and this is why you can not follow them or take many pictures”, said a fighter with the Syrian Democratic Forces, which announced on Tuesday an assault on the jihadists north of Raqqa.
“The number of people fleeing the city can be expected to increase further”, the sources said.
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) field commander Hawkar Kobane told AFP that “U.S. forces are taking part in this operation” alongside his own troops.
You know our policy with regard to our special operations forces, that we’re not going to talk very much about their activities, where they are and what they’re doing for obvious reasons. But in recent days photos have shown them in locations that appear to be closer to the fight.
Some of the soldiers were even wearing the insignia of the YPG, but the Pentagon now says this is common practice and should not be interpreted as embedding.
This is something we’ve been providing the Syrian Democratic Forces for some time.
“On a human level, I get it”.
Emile Hokayem, a Middle East analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, wrote on Twitter that the move was “politically tone-deaf and counterproductive in this context”.
USA officials have said in the past the decision to involve Shiite militias in any battle is up to the Iraqi government, though they have urged the Iraqis to sideline militias with strong ties to Shiite-led Iran.
The photographer said the soldiers identified as United States special forces refused to talk to journalists but were less wary than usual around the media. “Special Operations Forces and their counterparts typically swap unit patches as a method to build trust”. Political activists in Raqqa say Islamic State is using innocent people as human shields. The pictures raise questions over claims by the White House and the Pentagon that US forces in Syria operate well behind the front lines, helping local rebels with planning, logistics, and training new fighters.
Syrian Kurds have been hailed by several governments over their successful operations against the extremist group and retaking several towns and cities in Syria from them. “We’re trying to avoid using heavy weapons at such fronts to prevent civilian casualties”, he added.
The images include uniformed men – identified as USA forces – walking in Fatisah and riding in the back of a pickup truck. The Kurds have played a major role in pushing ISIL jihadists back in Syria’s northeast.
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Questions regarding the photos were also raised due to the fact that the US special operations forces appear to be wearing the insignia of the YPG, the main Kurdish force inside Syria, the optics of which could present all sorts of difficulties in a multiethnic region riven with sectarian tensions.
