US forces are in the outskirts of the Syrian town of Manbij
In its first response to Turkey’s plan to launch a military operation against the Syrian Democratic Force (SDF), the Pentagon said that any military action into northeastern Syria will be “unacceptable” and a source of concern.
“Unilateral military action into northeast Syria by any party, particularly as U.S. personnel may be present or in the vicinity, is of grave concern. We would find any such actions unacceptable,” Commander Sean Robertson, a Pentagon spokesman, said at the early hours of December 13.
Robertson added that dialogue between the SDF and the Turkish government is the only way to secure the Syrian-Turkish border without clarifying if the U.S. will work to facilitate such solution.
“We believe this dialogue is the only way to secure the border area in a sustainable manner, and believe that uncoordinated military operations will undermine that shared interest,” CNN quoted Robertson as saying.
A day earlier, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan revealed that the Turkish military will attack northeastern Syria within a few days. Syrian opposition sources said that the attack will target the SDF-held city of Tell Abyad, which hosts a key border crossing.
In response to Erdogan’s threat, the he Democratic Autonomous Administration (DAA) called for a total mobilization and said that the international community, including the Damascus government, should prevent any Turkish attack on northeastern Syria. The local administration, which governs the SDF-held area, also warned that Turkey wants to annex parts of the war torn country.
Robertson’s statement does not indicate that the U.S. is willing to defend its main proxy in Syria. If Washington does not step in, its relations with Syrian Kurds will likely get severely damaged.
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