US-supplied armoured vehicles reach Syrian rebels for first time

BEIRUT // The United States has for the first time supplied armoured vehicles to the Arab faction of a coalition fighting ISIL in Syria, a US defence official said on Tuesday.

Though the supply came under the administration of President Donald Trump, it was allowed by rules first enacted by his predecessor Barack Obama.

“We have provided armoured Sport Utility Vehicles to the Syrian Arab Coalition using existing authorities, in the interest of helping protect our partnered force from the [ISIL] improvised-explosive device threat,” said US military spokesman Colonel John Dorrian.

The Syrian Arab Coalition is the Arab component of the Syrian Democratic Forces, a coalition of Kurdish and Arab fighters.

The vehicles arrived with a promise of new American support, SDF spokesman Talal Sello said on Tuesday.

“Before we used to receive light weapons, ammunition ... with these armoured vehicles we’ve entered a new phase in the [US] support. It’s a sign,” he said.

“We have had meetings with representatives of the new administration, and they promised us extra support.”

The SDF has long been a key partner of the US-led coalition fighting ISIL in Syria and Iraq, and Washington has previously supplied them with light weaponry and sent US and other Western special forces as “advisers”.

The US-led coalition has also backed the force with heavy air strikes targeting ISIL fighters.

The alliance has caused tensions between Washington and ally Turkey, which considers the main component of the SDF — the Kurdish YPG force — to be a terrorist organisation.

The SDF has been battling since November 5 to oust the extremists from the city of Raqqa, the group’s main stronghold in Syria.

Mr Sello said the Trump administration had pledged extra support “particularly in the fight for Raqqa”. He said the decision to supply the vehicles was taken by Mr Trump’s administration, rather than in a simple continuation of US support under Mr Obama.

In a two-month offensive, the SDF has taken large areas of northern Raqqa province.

The first two phases of the offensive focused on capturing areas to the north and west of Raqqa, part of a strategy to encircle the city.

The third phase would focus on capturing remaining areas, including the road between Raqqa city and Deir Ezzour, a Kurdish military source said.

ISIL holds nearly all of Deir Ezzour province, where it has been fighting hard in recent weeks to try to capture the last remaining pockets of Syrian government-held territory in Deir Ezzour city.

Cutting off Raqqa city from ISIL strongholds in Deir Ezzour would be a major blow against the group.

“The coming phase of the campaign aims to isolate Raqqa completely,” said the Kurdish military source. “Accomplishing this requires reaching the Raqqa-Deir Ezzour road. This mission will be difficult.”

The SDF alliance was formed in October 2015, after the YPG Kurdish militia had already scored a string of victories against ISIL in northern Syria with air support from the US-led coalition.

Trump has said his focus in Syria will be battling ISIL, and on Saturday signed an executive order giving the US military 30 days to devise a plan to “defeat” the group.

The order, which called for a “comprehensive strategy and plans for the defeat of ISIL”, was seen as meaning more US forces and military hardware moving into Iraq and Syria.

Silo of the SDF said preparations were underway for “new action” against ISIL starting in “a few days”, but declined to give further details.

*Agence France-Presse and Reuters