Sources: US still provides military training to terrorists in Syria

The United States continues to provide military training to the Syrian extension of the PKK terrorist organization, the YPG, in Hassakeh northeastern Syria, according to information obtained from local sources

The U.S. Special Forces are providing armed training to 240 YPG terrorists in the Malikiyah region, close to the Turkish-Iraqi border, according to the sources who spoke on condition of anonymity due to security concerns.

In the training, in which several U.S.-made Bradley armored fighting vehicles were used, the terrorists were taught how to operate light and medium weapons.

U.S. helicopters also carried out reconnaissance flights in the training area on Tuesday.

Türkiye has long objected to the U.S., its NATO ally, providing weapons and training to the YPG/PKK terrorists. While the U.S. says it is allied with the group in order to fight Daesh, Türkiye says using one terrorist group to fight another makes no sense.

Previous terrorist training

The U.S. and France, which are part of the coalition against Daesh, have previously supported YPG/PKK terrorists in Hassakeh and Deir el-Zour, east of the Euphrates River, with armed training and various exercises.

Mount Abdulaziz and the sports complex in Hassakeh have become training grounds as well as some U.S. bases and the Omar oil field in Deir el-Zour.

In previous training, the terrorists were taught how to use weapons, ways of capturing positions with the help of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from the ground, mortar attacks, artillery fire, airborne landings and preventing attacks on bases.

At the sports complex in Hassakeh, which serves as a landing area for U.S. helicopters, terrorists are also provided practical airborne training.

French soldiers, acting under the auspices of the U.S. in Syria, also provided artillery fire training to YPG/PKK terrorists.

Since 2015, the U.S. and the coalition forces it leads have provided armed training to thousands of YPG/PKK terrorists.

In addition, last December and this February, U.S. troops carried out joint armed exercises with the terrorist group in the desert.

For more than 40 years, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.