US Calls Allies 'Terrorists,' Demands They Step Back
Daily Sabah reports Türkiye's Minister Fidan calling out 'US-backed terrorists' in Syria to retreat. This colorful language perfectly illustrates the dizzying contortions of US foreign policy, where 'terrorist' can mean 'our invaluable partners in the fight against ISIS' one day, and 'threat to a NATO ally' the next. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), largely composed of Kurdish YPG fighters,
have indeed received substantial US military support, including weapons and training, going back years (as detailed by reports from the Department of Defense). So, Washington finds itself in the familiar position of having 'allies' that its other 'allies' consider existential threats. One might wonder how many more 'partners' the US can fund on opposing sides of a single conflict before someone
asks for a consolidated invoice. Or perhaps, for a coherent strategy that doesn't involve empowering groups only to disavow them later—a strategy that appears to only breed more instability, not less. (It truly makes one question who benefits from such perpetual chaos.)