The head of the Pentagon discusses the latest developments in Syria with his Turkish counterpart

MADRID Dec. 9 () –

The Secretary of Defense of the United States, Lloyd Austin, held a phone call this Sunday with his Turkish counterpart, Yasar Guler, to discuss the latest events in Syria, after the fall of the Bashar al Assad regime after an offensive of less than two weeks led by the jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al Sham that took place after 14 years of war.

Austin has emphasized that the United States “is closely monitoring the statements and actions of Syria’s various opposition groups,” and agreed with Guler that “these groups must take measures to protect civilians, including ethnic minorities and religious, as well as respecting International Law”.

The spokesman for the head of the Pentagon, Patrick Ryder, reported that both ministers have reaffirmed “the importance of close coordination” between Washington and Ankara “to avoid further escalation of an already volatile situation”, as well as to avoid “any risk to “U.S. forces and partners in the mission to defeat the Islamic State.”

“The secretary has recognized Turkey’s legitimate security concerns and has analyzed the risks posed by the Islamic State and other malign actors in the region,” read a statement released after the US Army Central Command (CENTCOM) announced a wave of attacks against 75 Islamic State targets in central Syria.

The predominantly Kurdish militias of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have been essential partners of the United States – which has nearly a thousand soldiers deployed – in the fight against the Islamic State. It is worth mentioning that the SDF has been fighting for several days in the northwest of the country against the Syrian National Army, a Syrian opposition group close to Türkiye.

Although the American and Turkish governments are allies that have celebrated the overthrow of Al Assad, their interests diverge in terms of support for the Kurds.