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Reuters
AIN ISSA, Syria
Washington's main Syrian ally in the fight against Islamic State says the US military will remain in northern Syria long after the militants are defeated, predicting enduring ties with the Kurdish-dominated region.
The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of militias dominated by the Kurdish YPG, believes the United States has a"strategic interest"in staying on, SDF spokesman Talal Silo told reporters.
"They have a strategy policy for decades to come. There will be military, economic and political agreements in the long term between the leadership of the northern areas (of Syria) and the US administration,"Silo said.
The US-led coalition against Islamic State has deployed forces at several locations in northern Syria, including an airbase near the town of Kobani. It has supported the SDF with air strikes, artillery, and special forces on the ground.
Asked about long-term strategy, Col. Ryan Dillon, spokesman for the coalition, referred media to the Pentagon. He said there was"still a lot of fighting to do, even after ISIS has been defeated in Raqqa". Islamic State remained in strongholds along the Euphrates River Valley, he added, in a reference to its stronghold in Deir al-Zor province southeast of Raqqa.
"Our mission is to defeat ISIS in designated areas of Iraq and Syria and to set conditions for follow-on operations to increase regional stability,"Dillon said, without elaborating.
Eric Pahon, a Pentagon spokesman, said in Washington:"The Department of Defense does not discuss timelines for future operations. However we remain committed to the destruction of ISIS and preventing its return."
The SDF and YPG dominate a swathe of northern Syria where Kurdish-led autonomous administrations have emerged since the onset of the Syrian conflict in 2011.
