US dispatches 100 new trucks packed with military equipment to YPG

ANKARA

The United States dispatched 100 new trucks consisting of military equipment to the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) in Syria on July 30, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency has reported.

The trucks were reported in the city of al-Hasakah, located in northeast Syria, before heading to the northern parts of Raqqa.

The dispatched trucks were indicated to have entered the region under YPG control though the Iraqi border.
The vehicles were reportedly carrying heavy weapons, cranes, Hummer trucks and jeeps.

With the last aid provided by the U.S., the number of trucks that reached the YPG amounted to 909.
In June, a total of 120 trucks and up to 689 more trucks were sent to the organization until July 27, the agency said. 

According to a budget report received by the Anadolu Agency at the start of June from the Pentagon, the U.S. military provides weapons to various armed groups in Syria, including the YPG. This aid reportedly includes a total of 12,000 Kalashnikovs, 6,000 machine guns, 3,500 heavy machine guns, 3,000 U.S. made RPG-7s and 1,000 U.S. made AT-4 or Russian made SPG-9 anti-tank munitions to be given to the armed groups.

The U.S. President Donald Trump authorized the arming of the YPG in Syria against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) on May 9, causing ire in Ankara.

The Turkish government considers the YPG to be linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and has long pressed Washington to stop its support for the group, as it says that the arms provided to the group are handed over to the PKK.