US says joint patrols with YPG/PKK in Syria resume

The Pentagon announced on Tuesday the US has resumed its joint patrols with the YPG/PKK, which it reduced earlier in the wake of Türkiye’s airstrikes against the terror group.

“The partner operations with the Syrian Democratic Forces have resumed, they resumed in full on Dec. 9. Again, our focus is on working with those local partners to prevent the reconstitution of ISIS,” Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder, spokesman for the Defense Department, told reporters in a daily press briefing.

He was referring to the SDF, the US’ principal partner in Syria, led by the YPG.

The YPG is the Syrian branch of the PKK, a designated terror group in the US, EU, and Türkiye.

The US has partnered with the YPG-led SDF in its efforts to counter Daesh/ISIS in northeastern Syria, drawing Ankara’s anger in a major strain on bilateral relations.

After the terrorist YPG/PKK bomb attack last month on Istanbul’s busy Istiklal Avenue, which killed six, the Turkish army carried out an air operation against many terror targets in Syria and Iraq. After Türkiye launched Operation Claw-Sword, the US and the YPG/PKK reduced their joint patrols in the region.