US abandons Syria’s Kurds, risking regional turmoil and an IS resurgence

Kurdish fighters of the all-female Women Protection Units (YPJ) stand in formation. Kurdishstruggle / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

Many Kurdish people will be feeling betrayed by the US after the Syrian army, backed by the US and armed by Turkey, launched an offensive against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in early January. The SDF has long been hailed as the west’s most effective partner against the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organisation.

Led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, the Syrian...