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Turkey’s Syria Incursion Reveals Limits of US Backing for Kurdish Fighters

© REUTERS / Rodi SaidA Kurdish fighter from the People's Protection Units (YPG) carries his weapon as he stands past a tank in the Ghwairan neighborhood of Hasaka, Syria, August 22, 2016.
A Kurdish fighter from the People's Protection Units (YPG) carries his weapon as he stands past a tank in the Ghwairan neighborhood of Hasaka, Syria, August 22, 2016. - Sputnik International
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Washington preferred Ankara to its Kurdish allies in Syria, a private intelligence firm said.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The US decision to order its Kurdish allies in Syria out of the Euphrates River town of Jarablus before the arrival of Turkish tanks and troops reflected a bid to ease tensions with Turkey, a more important US ally, according to a report by the private intelligence firm Soufan Group on Thursday.

"Tensions have been at unprecedentedly high levels between the United States and Turkey since the failed coup on July 15," the report explained. "Vice President Biden made clear that the United States supported the Turkish push into Syria, framing it as a welcome addition in the fight against the Islamic State."

Smoke rises from the Syrian border town of Jarablus as it is pictured from the Turkish town of Karkamis, in the southeastern Gaziantep province, Turkey, August 24, 2016 - Sputnik International
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Kurdish forces in northern Syria are widely considered the most effective fighting force against the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

However, during Wednesday’s appearance with Turkish President Recep Erdogan, Biden publicly ordered Kurdish fighters to retreat from Jarablus to the eastern side of Euphrates or risk losing US support.

The Soufan report explained that Turkey views the Kurds in Syria "as a far greater threat than the Islamic State [Daesh]."

The advance of Kurdish troops beyond the west bank of the Euphrates River was a red line for Ankara, the report noted.

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