Special ops deployment marks US shift in Syria

Obama administration refocuses on fighting ISIL in north-east after failed training programme.

White House press secretary Josh Earnest announces the President Barack Obama’s decision to put a small group of US Special Forces in Syria on October 30, 2015. Saul Loeb / AFP

BEIRUT// After years of pledging to a war-weary American public that the US strategy in Syria would not involve boots on the ground, president Barack Obama has authorised the deployment of up to 50 special operations soldiers to the country.

The troops – who are to help US-aligned Kurdish and Arab rebel forces fighting ISIL with logistics and planning – are unlikely to shift the balance of power by themselves due to their small numbers and non-combat role.

But their coming deployment to northern Syria, announced on Friday, reaffirms the Obama administration’s commitment to a new, more proactive Syria strategy focused on the country’s north-east after the failure of the US$500 million (Dh1.8bn) “train and equip” programme.

Previously, the US strategy towards Syria focused on finding moderate, vetted rebels who were committed to fighting ISIL forces in the north-western province of Aleppo. The task proved difficult. For one, most rebels in the area still see the forces of Syrian president Bashar Al Assad as the primary enemy and are unwilling to only fight ISIL.

Additionally, unfriendly groups such as Jabhat Al Nusra have a significant foothold in parts of north-west Syria.

When the first batch of 54 US-trained fighters deployed to Syria in July, Al Nusra quickly defeated them. When 75 more fighters were dispatched in September, Al Nusra seized one-quarter of their equipment to allow them safe passage.

Acknowledging the programme’s failures and facing challenges to its influence in Syria as Russia began a bombing campaign against rebels and ISIL targets in late September, the US has looked to refocus its attention to the country’s east, and support rebel units attacking ISIL’s heartland.

This shift bets on the only force in the country that has consistently been successful against ISIL: the Kurdish fighters of the YPG. The YPG has been directly coordinating air strikes with the coalition, giving them an operational rapport with Washington that other actors do not have.

Meanwhile, Arab rebels in the east, unlike their comrades near Aleppo, are far from the fight against government forces and see ISIL as their most pressing enemy.

Recently, Kurdish YPG forces have indicated that an assault on Raqqa, ISIL’s base of operations in Syria, is imminent. And on Saturday, the Democratic Forces of Syria – a newly formed coalition of Kurdish and Arab fighters in the north-east – announced a campaign to drive ISIL from Hassakeh province.

On October 11, the US airdropped 50 tonnes of ammunition to anti-ISIL forces in Hassakeh province. While the US said that the airdrops were received by Arab rebel groups, there have been reports that the arms went to the YPG, the most dominant force in the area.

Bolstering support for Kurdish forces could further irk Turkey, a long-standing ally and Nato member that has allowed the US to use Incirlik Airbase as a launching point for strikes against ISIL in Iraq and Syria. Currently at war with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) guerrillas at home, Turkey has been wary of the intentions of the PKK-linked YPG fighters in Syria and has warned the US and Russia that it will not tolerate further Kurdish gains along its 911 kilometre-long border with Syria.

Last week, Turkey said for the first time it had struck Kurdish targets in Syria, attacking YPG forces after they crossed west of the Euphrates River, a red line demarcated by Turkey.

Russia’s bombing campaign has raised tensions between Washington and Moscow, but the latest US moves redirect American support from the north-west – where rebels are targets of Russian jets – to the east, where US-backed fighters are less likely to be targets.

But the deployment of US troops on the ground – even in small numbers – will signal to Moscow that the US has not given up on Syria despite their recent failures and Moscow’s sudden entry in the war.

* With additional reporting by Agence France-Presse