By Ioanna Theou
Tom Barrack, who is the US Ambassador in Turkey, said on January 20, 2026 that the role of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) as the ‘’primary anti-ISIS force on the ground’’ in northeastern Syria has ‘’largely expired’’. This statement clearly confirms the gradual American disengagement from the Syrian Kurds, who not only supported the US strategic objectives in the Syrian war but also combated the jihadist terrorist organizations. Therefore, this appears to be the United States ‘version of ‘’gratitude’’ toward the Kurdish forces.. and once again, the Kurdish forces were betrayed by the US.
According to Tom Barrack, the new Syrian government is now ready and positioned to protect and counter all current and new terrorist threats. Washington has long supported the SDF in fighting ISIL/ISIS, but with Damascus joining the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIL and agreeing a ceasefire with the Kurdish forces, the US is shifting its focus, giving more chances to the new Syrian government. Therefore, there is a crisis for the Kurds in northern Syria. The Kurdish communities are facing existential threats without US support.
The leader of Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), Bafel Talabani, confirmed new attacks on Rojava (northeast Syria) and said they are ‘’unacceptable and must stop’’. He emphasized that the Kurdish people have suffered constantly and defended the world by fighting ISIS. But again, where is the respect and the protection of the Kurds?! Talabani called the US to act with clarity and to protect civilians amid these violent events. Despite a US- brokered ceasefire between the new Syrian regime and the Kurds, attacks on Rojava have continued. Consequently, the regime of al-Sharaa seeks to dismantle Kurdish self-rule and undermine Kurdish rights.
Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani and Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani underscored concerns about the Kurdish presence in northeastern Syria. They publicly called for an international intervention and ceasefire to prevent escalation and a possible re-emergence of ISIS. Even though there was a recent agreement between al-Sharaa and the SDF about the oil in the region, the Kurdish territory and the prison-camps filled with terrorists, the agreement collapsed due to the attacks on the Kurdish population.The SDF reported that ISIS prisoners escaped after attacks on SDF-run detention facilities, and the group moved forces to protect the Kurdish areas.
In the context of growing insecurity in northern Syria, Kurdish political actors have increasingly appealed to Israel -a state that viewed the Kurds as a political tool- to move beyond rhetorical sympathy and play a more active role in preventing further violence and marginalization of Kurdish populations. Israel could directly benefit from closer cooperation with Kurdish groups, as an Israeli – Kurdish alignment would have the potential to undermine the emerging relationship between the al-Sharaa regime and Erdogan’s Turkey, as well as the broader US-Turkey cooperation in the region.
Ultimately, it becomes evident that the West has forgotten the contribution of the Kurds in the fight against ISIS. Nevertheless, both the United States and Europe have chosen to forget this contribution, allowing crimes against the Kurdish population by the new post-ISIS power structures. The open political support expressed by leaders such as Mark Rutte and Emmanuel Macron toward President Trump and his Syria policy further illustrate this abandonment, as Western alignment with US disengagement effectively legitimized a strategy that left the Kurds exposed.
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