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U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham said he is increasingly concerned that Syria’s new government may be aligning with Türkiye to use military force against Syrian Kurdish groups, which he described as the United States’ strongest ally in the ongoing effort to defeat Daesh in Syria.
In a statement shared on X, Graham said he fears the new Syrian government could coordinate with Türkiye in actions targeting Syrian Kurds.
He said such a move would raise serious concerns given the Kurds’ role in combating Daesh.
Graham said Kurdish forces currently control about 9,000 Daesh prisoners, whom he described as “the worst of the worst.”
He said it is a vital national security interest for the United States that these prisoners do not return to the battlefield, stressing that he would not be comfortable at this stage with the prisoners being guarded by the Syrian army or Türkiye instead of Kurdish forces.
Graham said he supports giving the new Syrian government a fair chance, but warned that any escalation of attacks against Kurdish forces by Syrian troops supported by Türkiye would create a “whole new dynamic.”
He said such a scenario would likely trigger wide and deep bipartisan support in the U.S. to push back against such actions, urging decision-makers to “choose wisely.”
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