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Washington Affirms It Does Not Support the Establishment of an Independent Kurdish Entity in Syria
US officials have confirmed that Washington does not support the creation of an independent Kurdish entity in Syria and does not consider the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) as a nucleus for such a entity, indicating a potential shift in US policy toward the Kurds.
This stance comes after extensive controversy sparked by reports of diminished military and political support for the SDF, as well as changes in the US military footprint in the region amid ongoing Turkish pressures to reduce Kurdish influence along its southern borders. In a segment from Qamishli on the program "Al-Tas’ea" on Sky News Arabia, journalist Zana Omar explained that "the US administration has not officially announced abandoning the Syrian Democratic Forces, but it has repeatedly affirmed that it does not support establishing an independent Kurdish entity inside Syria."
He added that "US officials’ statements make clear that cooperation with the SDF remains military and security-oriented within the framework of counter-terrorism, not for political or sovereign goals," suggesting that "the hope for a Kurdish entity in Syria may have significantly waned."
Omar mentioned that "the SDF is currently undergoing a process of internal reorganization on both the political and military levels," and that "Kurdish media discourse has shifted away from explicit demands for autonomy, adopting more conciliatory terminology such as decentralization and local democracy."
He also noted rising fears among Kurdish circles that the US distancing might be a prelude to an regional agreement involving rapprochement with Turkey at the expense of the Kurdish project.
In the same context, Turkey expressed satisfaction with what it called a "real shift" in Washington’s position, especially after the Pentagon confirmed that "cooperation with the SDF does not imply support for a separate political project."
Observers believe that US statements carry mixed messages: the first reassures Turkey, a NATO ally, and the second emphasizes that Syria’s future should be determined through a comprehensive national settlement rather than by on-the-ground entities imposed from outside.
