The Role of Syrian Kurds in Confronting International Terrorism (ISIS)

The Syrian uprising in 2011 opened a door and paved the way for Syrian Kurds to reorganize themselves and retake their homeland from the Syrian regime. The Syrian crisis had not been concluded when another problem emerged, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) which was very strong and a risk for the world at large. The international community turned its attention to the decline of, and ending the threat of ISIS to the region. To that end, the U.S has made a coalition to confront the risks of the terror group, but the U.S has not sought to engage in the war directly with its troops. The U.S strategy has been supporting groups by airstrikes, providing weapons and looking for a reliable and powerful group in Syria capable of ending ISIS‟s threat. After the defense skills displayed by Syrian Kurds (PYD) in Kobane in 2014, the U.S came to understand that the Kurds are the best option for cooperation against the brutal group, ISIS. On the other hand, the Syrian Kurds needed and tried to get support for fighting ISIS because they did not have enough weapons, ammunition and any international support. In addition, the Syrian Kurds have had some enemies in the region making it necessary for the Kurds to align themselves with the U.S in order to protect from other foes and getting help for fighting ISIS and other groups. The United States and PYD established their relations in 2014. The relationship is beneficial for both sides as for the U.S, ending the threats of ISIS was necessary and for PYD ending ISIS, getting support and protection from other groups and states like Turkey, is also necessary. I hypothesize that in this relationship; the PYD could exploit the situation for their goals and realize the advantages.