A recently released video of US SOF troops with Kurdish allies in Tal Abyad, Syria near the Turkish border, highlights the tensions between the US allies and its growing role as referee in the region. Several American flag waving pick-ups laden with gear can be spotted driving around the city, while a Turkish flag looming in the not-so-far distance can also be seen.
The Kurds have reported artillery exchanges with Turkish forces over the last five days and Turkish troops have been reportedly massing near Afrin district in Northern Syria. The sudden presence of US troops will likely discourage Turkey’s seizure of the logistically important city, severing a logistics route for Kurdish controlled areas and operations in Raqqa. With US assistance, the Kurds continue to liberate formerly ISIS held-territory in and around Raqqa.