WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Kurdish forces in Northern Syria represent the strongest credible military ground force against Daesh terrorist group, which claims to have established an Islamic caliphate based in Raqqa.
"Fears in Ankara of a credible Kurdish proto-government are superseding fears surrounding the continued existence of the Islamic State [Daesh]," the report stated. "As a result, Turkish objections have seriously delayed the campaign to retake Raqqa… Managing who enters and ultimately holds Raqqa is as important as how it is initially reclaimed."
Last week, US Special Forces fighting alongside the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) in northern Syria were ordered to remove YPG insignia from their uniforms, a standard practice for embedded US forces on a foreign battlefield.
Although the YPG forces have been the most effective ground forces in the US-led coalition’s effort to drive Daesh from Raqqa, Turkey considers the YPG a terrorist group.
