Turkish military move against the Kurdish forces in the Syrian city of Manbij could interfere with the US-led coalition campaign against the Islamic State, US Central Command head Gen. Joseph Votel said on Tuesday.
The move could "have an impact on the coalition campaign plan," Votel said in an interview with Foreign Policy.
Earlier in the day, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the country’s armed forces would advance toward Manbij after completing the operation in al-Bab.
The commander noted that the United States is "fully engaged" with Turkey and is trying to work out a solution for northern Syria to make sure that US-backed and Turkish forces do not fight each other, Sputnik news agency reports quoting Foreign Policy.
SYRIAN KURDS RECEIVED WEAPONS, VEHICLES FROM US
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militants in northern Syria received a batch of weapons and military vehicles from the United States, media reported Tuesday, citing Kurdish sources.
According to Al Mayadeen broadcaster, the convoy with the weapons and vehicles arrived on Tuesday to Syria's Hasakah province via Iraq.
It comes a week after Joseph Votel, visited Syria to meet the SDF heads, He reportedly promised that the United States would strengthen the SDF forces in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) terror group.
In November 2016, the SDF launched an operation called the Wrath of Euphrates to seize control over Syrian Raqqa, de facto IS capital.
In February, US Defense Department spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis said the Raqqa offensive would start after the Syrian armed opposition fully isolated the city.
