(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) WASHINGTON, May 10 (KUNA) -- The US "may have begun" dispersing weapons to Kurdish YPG fighters in Syria "very quickly," in support of the operation to retake Raqqa from the so-called Islamic State.
"Some of the materiel that have been slated to provide these resources to our partner force are there already and will be distributed soon. And some will be metered out as it's needed," said spokesperson of the Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) John Dorrian to reporters Wednesday.
Yesterday, President Donald Trump approved supplying arms to the Kurdish People's Protection Units despite opposition from the US' NATO ally, Turkey, which views the YPG as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, a group both countries classify as terrorist.
"As far as a Turkish role for what will happen in Raqqa, we continue talking to Turkey every single day," Dorrian insisted. "There are Turkish officers in the headquarters of CJTF-OIR who are working every day to defeat ISIS in Iraq and Syria." The weapons that will be supplied include ammunition, small arms, heavy machine guns and mortars, he added.
"We do believe that the delivery of these capabilities will accelerate and enable the campaign to go in and seize Raqqa," Dorrian said.
Separately, the Spokesperson announced the liberation of the "vast majority" of Tabqa by Syrian Democratic Forces and the Syrian Arab Coalition.
"They continue to clear ISIS remnants from the final two neighborhoods of the city, to include completely cutting off the Tabqa Dam from the rest of the city, isolating the remaining fighters there," Dorrian said.
About 30,000 Tabqa residents have been displaced since fighting began in late March. (end) ak.mb
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