KABUL, Afghanistan<\/p>\n
The U.S. did not make any commitment with SDF in Syria to fight a longstanding NATO ally, the U.S. secretary of defense said on Monday.<\/p>\n
Fighting a longstanding ally (Turkey) was not part of our commitment with the SDF, Mark Esper told a news conference in Afghanistans capital Kabul, adding the commitment with the Kurds was to destroy Daesh, but any future commitment requires broader political framework.<\/p>\n
The YPG\/PKK terrorist group in Syria uses the acronym SDF as a cover for receiving U.S. support.<\/p>\n
Esper said keeping some U.S. troops in northeastern Syria near oilfields is one of the options to deny Daesh revenue from those fields.<\/p>\n
He also reassured the Kabul government against an abrupt withdrawal of forces, saying reduction in troops relies on a peace agreement with the Taliban.<\/p>\n
Flanked by his Afghan counterpart Assadullah Khalid, the U.S. secretary of defense said at a news conference that unlike Syria, the U.S. has longstanding commitments in Afghanistan, invested billions of dollars and paid sacrifices in Afghanistan that should reassure the Afghans about the future.<\/p>\n
U.S. maintains nearly 14,000 troops on ground in Afghanistan. Besides counter-terrorism operations, the American troops are also involved in training and advising Afghanistan's security forces. <\/p>\n
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No commitment with SDF on fighting NATO ally: US - Anadolu Agency<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" KABUL, Afghanistan The U.S. did not make any commitment with SDF in Syria to fight a longstanding NATO ally, the U.S. secretary of defense said on Monday. Continue reading