A senior US official has paid a visit to northern Syria without the permission of Damascus, saying Washington will keep troops in the territories held by Kurdish militants.
State Department representative William Roebuck traveled Saturday to the cities of Manbij and Ayn al-Arab locally known as Kobani, both situated in Aleppo Province, as well as the town of Shaddadah in Hasakah Governorate. He was later due to visit Dayr al-Zawr Province which is held by US-backed Kurdish militants.
“We are prepared to stay here, as the president (Donald Trump) has made clear,” he said after meeting with militants.
With the Syrian government focused on crushing foreign-backed militants and Takfiri terrorists, Kurdish militants carved out a de facto autonomous region in the country’s north and northeast which was later occupied by US troops.
About 2,000 US troops and a lesser number of troops from France and other allies have been deployed to northeast Syria in territories under the control of Kurdish militants, raising fears that they might be aiming to partition the country.
Source: Websites
