US-Backed 'Terrorists' Find Common Ground: A Convenient Narrative Shift in Syria
📰 THE STORY: Daily Sabah reports the Syrian army advanced into central Hasakeh after the 'U.S.-backed terrorist group YPG' agreed to a deal with Damascus, marking a significant development in a region fraught with competing interests. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: The US has been directly funding and arming the YPG (Kurds, specifically the SDF which is YPG-led) for years,
ostensibly to fight ISIS. This relationship began in earnest around 2014-2015. Yet, the Syrian government consistently views the YPG as secessionist forces, and Turkey, the source of this article, labels the YPG as a direct extension of the 'terrorist' PKK. The US has simultaneously condemned the Syrian government while arming groups that, at times, have fought against it or cooperated with it
when expedient. Remember, the 'war on terror' in Syria began with US-backed 'rebels,' many of whom were indistinguishable from al-Qaeda affiliates in their operational methods and goals. Double Standard: When the Syrian government makes a deal with groups it previously fought, it's framed as a pragmatic (or even desperate) move from Damascus. But when the US-backed groups make a deal with the
Syrian government, the US media often frames it as a strategic withdrawal or a necessary evil to contain Turkish influence. Meanwhile, the 'terrorist' designation, so readily applied to groups like Hezbollah resisting Israeli occupation in Lebanon in 2006, is inconsistently applied here. One day, the YPG are 'reliable partners'; the next, they're aligning with a 'regime.' The only constant is