The US-backed Kurdish militia, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), has accused its backers in Washington of turning a blind eye to Turkish attacks against its forces in northern Syria, an Arabic media report from 25 August suggested.

According to the SDF, there is an “undeclared agreement between Ankara and Washington, to give the former the green light to liquidate whoever it sees as a threat to its national security,” the report said, adding that Ankara’s continued strikes against SDF positions are “protected by American assurances.”

The report also details that the US-backed group is outraged over the lack of any sufficient condemnation by Washington of Turkey’s continued aggression against its troops in Syria, most notably the Turkish strike that killed SDF deputy commander Salwa Yousef near Qamishli last month.

Although the US coalition issued a statement condemning the Turkish drone strike that left four teenage girls dead in Hasakah governorate on 18 August, the report says that Kurdish leaders are not satisfied with their sponsors, and have demanded “more firm stances.”

In mid-August, the SDF suspended their operations with the US coalition in protest of continued drone strikes in northeast Syria by Turkey, who has recently stepped up its operations against Kurdish militants.

In response to this, the US coalition issued a statement on 11 August denouncing “the killing of civilians by any and all armed groups,” yet failing to specifically mention its NATO ally.

Turkey continuously violates Syrian sovereignty, and recently, has been planning to launch a full-scale military operation under the pretext of establishing a buffer zone between the Turkish border and military positions held by Kurdish militias.

Damascus has vowed that it is ready to confront any possible Turkish offensive in northern Syria, and has recently been coordinating with the SDF on the northern border to confront Ankara’s planned operation.

The Syrian government has repeatedly told the SDF and other US-backed groups in Syria that maintaining loyalty to Damascus is in their best interest. The government has also warned Kurdish militants that they “cannot rely” on Washington.