Pentagon Warns Bashar al-Assad Against Attacking Kurdish Forces in Syria

On Thursday, June 1, the U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon) warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad not to take military action against the U.S.-backed "Syrian Democratic Forces" in northeastern Syria. General Kenneth McKenzie, head of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated that all parties present in Syria must understand that attacking U.S. military forces or our partners in the coalition (against the Islamic State) would be a bad policy. General McKenzie made these remarks following an interview in which Bashar al-Assad told Russia Today that the only remaining issue in the country is the recapture of areas controlled by the "Syrian Democratic Forces." The Syrian president added that there are two options regarding the "Syrian Democratic Forces": the first is negotiation. He stated that if negotiations fail, the second option would be to use force. Hours after General McKenzie’s comments, Dana White, Pentagon spokesperson, said that the U.S. does not wish to intervene in the Syrian civil war and will only protect the "Syrian Democratic Forces" if they are attacked. The "Syrian Democratic Forces," an alliance of militia groups led by Kurdish forces, have received U.S. support in their battle against the Islamic State (ISIS). Currently, the "Syrian Democratic Forces" and Syrian government forces are separately engaged in battles with ISIS in various parts of the country. Earlier, clashes occurred between pro-government forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces near Deir ez-Zor in eastern Syria, where U.S.-led coalition forces bombed positions of pro-government forces. In this context, Bashar al-Assad called for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Syria.