Top US general confirms close relationship with SDF, Mazloum Abdi
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – A top US general confirmed a close relationship with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and its Commander-in-Chief, Mazloum Abdi.
“General Mazloum and his forces were instrumental to the defeat of ISIS,” said General Mark Milley, US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in an exclusive interview with the Jordanian al-Mamlaka TV.
Milley said the SDF “primarily provided the ground capability to take Raqqa,” adding that the US forces only provided air power and special forces “but General Mazloum and his forces conquered Raqqa and this should not be forgotten by anybody,” he stressed.
Early in March, Milley paid an unexpected visit to Northeast Syria and visited a US base in the region to evaluate the mission against the Islamic State (ISIS) and review protection measures for US troops.
Following the visit, Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Jeff Flake, US ambassador to Ankara to ask for clarification regarding the visit of General Mark Milley to Northeast Syria.
“Turkey looks at them [SDF] as an enemy and this can be very problematic,” Milley noted.
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff reiterated that the primary function of the US troops in Syria is the counter-ISIS mission, “our commitment is to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS.”
“The US works in Syria by supporting the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and its general Mazloum Abdi. We have special forces work in Syria. The whole purpose was to destroy and defeat the caliphate, and we did that.”
He said although the “caliphate” was shattered, there are still militants of ISIS in small groups in and around Syria.
Milley mentioned that withdrawing from Syria is a political decision made by the political leadership and the US government, saying “If we were to somehow suddenly withdraw, those forces [ISIS] could reconstruct themselves. So the situation is much, much better than it was. But it still requires a level of commitment. So we’ve got some modest amount of forces in Syria.”