Trump to provide military weapon support to Kurds; NATO ally Turkey objects

President Trump has approved a plan to provide military weapons and support to the Syrian Kurds in their fight against ISIS, including helping them retake Raqqa. Turkey, a NATO ally, has previously opposed the idea because they insist that the Kurds work closely with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, a listed terrorist organization. Turkey also fears that the weapons supplied to the Kurds may be used against their forces in the future. American officials noted that the supply of weapons will be limited to help the Kurds carry out specific operations and excess equipment will be retrieved at the end of each mission. It will likely be a topic of concern at next week’s meeting between Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and could potentially damage their alliance.