White House has approved weapons for Kurds over Turkey's objections, official says

The YPG, which dominates a diverse group of fighters known as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), has emerged as the United States' premier partner force against the Islamic State in Syria. Turkish officials have not yet responded publicly.

Turkey has said it is keen to join the battle to recapture Raqa but on the condition the offensive does not include the Syrian Kurdish fighters.

"We expect that this mistake is to be rectified", he said, days ahead of a crunch meeting in Washington between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and USA counterpart Donald Trump.

The Arab force is central to tensions between Washington and Ankara, its North Atlantic Treaty Organization ally, over the campaign to unseat the extremist group from its de facto Syrian capital.

That may be the reason for the timing, as President Trump clearly doesn't like being publicly contradicted, and Erdogan has been very public in objecting to the U.S. support for the Kurds. "We must put an end to this", he added.

The brutal Syrian regime, he alleged, is supporting terrorism, maintaining its then-existing occupation of Lebanon, pursuing weapons of mass destruction and missile programmes, and undermining the U.S. and global efforts with respect to the stabilisation and reconstruction of Iraq.

A United States official, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said the equipment for the Kurdish fighters could include small arms, ammunition, machine guns, armored vehicles and engineering equipment. They said the USA would not provide artillery or surface-to-air missiles.

As many as 1,000 United States troops are working alongside the SDF inside Syria. But one defense official, who insisted on remaining anonymous because of the diplomatic ramifications, said the equipment was likely given to them through "other means by other sources".

But the USA administration has been skeptical that the Turkish-backed force was large enough or sufficiently trained.

"The U.S. continues to prioritize our support for Arab elements of the SDF", said White.

The Pentagon, however, states it is "keenly aware" of security concerns voiced by its Turkish allies.

"We want to reassure the people and government of Turkey that the USA is committed to preventing additional security risks and protecting our North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ally".

"It's less about what forces actually seize Raqqa", Dunford said. The intent is to restrict the distribution and use of the weaponry and then require the Kurds to return it to USA control, the officials said.

Officials told the Associated Press that the White House has made clear the weapons were being given for short-term use to reassure the Turks that the additional weaponry will not be used by the Kurds in Turkey.

While the arms supplies may contribute to a speedy victory in Raqqa, the move will definitely complicate relations between Washington and Ankara.

Mattis called Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isik on Tuesday, the Pentagon said. "We'll figure out how we're going to do it". Since then, IS has lost wide areas after coming under attack in Syria and Iraq from a US -led global coalition. The Turkish military said it killed at least 90 fighters and wounded scores.

The ultimate goal in providing more arms to the Syrian Kurds is to eventually take over the city of Raqqa, Syria, an ISIS stronghold that has been occupied by the radical group since 2014.