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Kurdish YPG Militia Refutes Reports of Receiving Arms From US-Led Coalition

© AP Photo / Lefteris PitarakisKurdish fighters with the Kurdish People's Protection Units, or YPG, wave their yellow triangular flag in the outskirts of Tal Abyad, Syria. (File)
Kurdish fighters with the Kurdish People's Protection Units, or YPG, wave their yellow triangular flag in the outskirts of Tal Abyad, Syria. (File) - Sputnik International
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The Syrian Kurdish Popular Defense Units (YPG) militia denies reports that the US-led coalition had supplied them with weapons to help in the anti-Daesh offensive, the group's spokesman, Redur Khalil, said in a statement obtained by Sputnik on Wednesday.

A Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighter rests with his weapon on a vehicle camouflaged with mud, north of Raqqa city, Syria November 7, 2016 - Sputnik International
Counter-Daesh Forces Move Within 5km of Tabqa Dam Near Raqqa - US-Led Coalition
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Tuesday, Reuters news agency reported that US weapons were transferred to Kurdish fighters within the YPG-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) as a part of aid in an operation to liberate Syria's Raqqa from Daesh.

US Department of Defense spokesman Adrian Rankine-Galloway dismissed these reports in an comment for Sputnik stating that Pentagon only provides training and materiel support to the Syrian Arab Coalition, which is a component of the SDF.

"The media incorrectly reported that the international coalition against Daesh led by the United States has supplied units with arms, including tanks and up-armored vehicles. We in the Kurdish Popular Defense Units emphasize that these reports are incorrect as we have not received any weapons from the Alliance," Khalil said in the statement.

The Syrian Democratic Forces are a rebel group predominantly consisting of Kurdish fighters, as well as of Arabic and Turkmen forces, who are jointly fighting against the Daesh terrorist group. The Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) are the main force of the SDF group. The SDF has long been supported by the US-led coalition.

The Operation Wrath of Euphrates, aimed at liberating the Syrian city of Raqqa from Daesh was launched by Kurdish-led SDF on November 5, 2016. The SDF started the second stage of the operation on December 10.

The SDF is among of the forces fighting against Daesh in the war-torn Syria and brings together Kurds, Arabs, Assyrians and Turkmens among others.

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