Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)-affiliated People’s Protection Units (YPG) captured Syria’s eastern Deir el-Zor as a result of support from the U.S.-led coalition and Russia.
The announcement was made on Sunday from Syria’s Hmeimeem military base by YPG spokesperson Noureddine Mahmoud, who was accompanied by Russian Gen. Alexei Kim. A Russian and YPG flag was unfurled in the background.
Mahmoud said the U.S.-led coalition and Russian forces in Syria provided "air and logistical support, advice and coordination on the ground."
"We hope for an increase in this support and for insuring the necessary air cover,” he added.
The U.S.-led coalition and the Russian military held de-confliction meetings to coordinate planes and troops.
The U.S. has backed the YPG, which fights under the umbrella group the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), under the guise of combatting Daesh.
The SDF is dominated by the YPG, which follows the leftist ideology of Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the PKK that has fought a three-decade insurgency in Turkey. The Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its military YPG wing are Syrian branches of the PKK, which has waged war against Turkey for more than 30 years.
Turkey has condemned Washington's support for the YPG because it believes its presence on the Turkey-Syria border is a national security threat.
