CENTCOM chief meets Syrian Kurdish leader in push for postwar unity
A senior US Navy admiral joined Trump envoy Tom Barrack in efforts to break the impasse between Syria’s Kurdish-led forces and Damascus on postwar unification.
WASHINGTON — The top US military officer overseeing forces in the Middle East met with the head of Syria’s Kurdish-led militia alliance on Monday to discuss efforts to reintegrate the country as Syria's second-largest military force remains at an impasse with militias aligned with the new Islamist government in Damascus.
US Navy Adm. Brad Cooper and Washington envoy on Syria Tom Barrack met with Mazlum Kobani, the commander of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, and other representatives of northeast Syria’s semi-autonomous government in Hasakah on Monday.
Barrack, who is also the US ambassador to Turkey, said in a post on X that the delegation held “substantive discussions with [Kobani] and the SDF.” Army Brig. Gen. Kevin Lambert, the commander overseeing the US mission in Iraq and Syria, which includes US training and support for the SDF, also attended.
I visited northeast Syria today with @CENTCOM Commander Admiral Cooper for substantive conversations with @MazloumAbdi and the SDF. Forward momentum for @POTUS’s vision of “give Syria a chance” by allowing Syrians to unite with all Syrians in a renewed effort for cooperative… pic.twitter.com/hCuTNNBUmm
