"Our relationship is temporary, transitional and tactical," Cohen told guests at the Middle East Institute think tank. "They are the only force in that part of Syria… that is capable of moving in the near term to seize and liberate Raqqa."
Turkey considers the Syrian Kurdish fighters, known by the acronym YPG, as terrorists on par with Daesh, because of YPG ties with the Kurdistan’s Workers party (PKK) terrorist group that is fighting to carve out a Kurdish state from Turkey.
Turkish opposition to the recent US decision to arm the YPG was a major point of contention in Tuesday’s White House summit between President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Cohen emphasized that the US commitment to Turkey as an ally and the commitment to Turkey’s national security remains strong and deep, despite a tactical disagreement over the use of Kurdish forces to liberate Raqqa.
