US President Donald Trump’s administration will inform Turkey that it intends to move forward with the US-backed Syrian Kurdish militants to retake the Syrian city of Raqqa despite strong objections from Ankara, media reported.
Trump will inform President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of the US plans when Erdoğan visits the White House later this month, Foreign Policy magazine reported, citing defence officials.
US Central Command, the report added, submitted a request to Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis to authorise providing arms to the Syrian Kurdish forces ahead of the Raqqa offensive.
The offensive will be carried out by Kurdish and Arab fighters backed by US air power and artillery, the report claimed.
Turkey strongly opposes any plan that would see Kurdish militants taking over the city.
