The US Must Take Forceful Action to End Syrian Offensive: Reuters

The United States must take stronger action to put an end to the Syrian offensive, which has recently captured key areas from Kurdish fighters, the leader of the main Kurdish force told Reuters.

On Saturday, Syrian government troops launched an assault on areas controlled by semi-autonomous Kurdish authorities for the past decade, seizing towns on both sides of the Euphrates River, as well as the country’s largest oil field and gas reserves, officials and security sources reported.

The commander of the People’s Protection Units (YPG), Sipan Hamon, stated that a meeting on Saturday between US Ambassador Tom Barak and Kurdish officials did not yield a roadmap for a ceasefire. He denied any aspirations for Syrian Kurds to separate or create an independent state, asserting that their future is within Syria.

“Our greatest hope is that there will be tangible results, especially from the coalition and the United States, meaning that they will intervene more forcefully in the existing issues than they currently are,” Hamon said.

Syrian forces have continued their advance despite calls from the US Central Command to halt operations.