US Does Not Provide Weapons, Training to Kurds in Afrin Pocket - Pentagon

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States does not provide any training or arms to the Kurds located in the Afrin area, Pentagon’s Joint Staff Director Lt. Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr. told reporters on Thursday.

"We haven’t trained or provided equipment for any of the Kurds that are in Afrin pocket. We are focused on the Euphrates River Valley operations to the South and to the East," McKenzie said.

When asked about the plans about the weapons provided to the Syrian Kurds, McKenzie said, "We carefully track weapons that are provided to them."

READ MORE: France Demands Urgent UNSC Meeting Over Turkish Operation in Syria's Afrin

"We ensure that they to the maximum extent possible don’t fall into the wrong hands, and we continue discussions with the Turks on those issues," he said.

Washington provides support to Kurdish militants fighting in Syria against terrorist groups.

READ MORE: WATCH the Beginning of Turkey's Military Operation in Northern Syria

On Saturday, the Turkish Armed Forces launched the operation against the Kurdish forces in Afrin. Damascus has strongly condemned Ankara's actions, with the Syrian Foreign Ministry calling them a violation of the country's sovereignty.

Afrin is an area controlled by the US-backed Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) and Democratic Union Party (PYD) militias, which Ankara considers affiliates of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), designated as a terrorist organization in Turkey and several other countries.