Sen. , R-S.C., and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo both gave stark warnings about the urgent need to defend the vulnerable Syrian Kurdish people facing assault from government troops in the conflict-ravaged country.
, who earlier this month commanded his military forces, which are said to contain significant jihadist components, to seize control of land held for over ten years by the U.S.-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF.)
Posting on the social media site X on, Graham stated, “There is strong and growing bipartisan interest in the regarding the deteriorating situation in Syria. There is strong consensus that we must protect the Kurds who were there for us in destroying the ISIS caliphate, as well as many other groups.”
responded to Graham’s post, saying, “Turning our backs on our Kurdish allies would be a moral and strategic disaster.”
The Trump administration has come under fire from its longtime partner, the Syrian Kurds, who were instrumental in the victory over ISIS in the center of the Middle East, following a U.S. government social media statement that appeared to suggest the partnership had ended this past week with the Kurdish-run SDF in northern Syria.
The SDF was established as a defense against the quick expansion of the Islamic State’s militant group in 2013. ISIS established a caliphate spanning large areas in Syria and Iraq. Al-Sharaa was a former member of the Islamic State and al Qaeda.
Digital contacted the State Department concerning U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, who also serves as the Special Envoy for Syria, for comment on his recent post on X wrote that suggested the U.S. partnership with the SDF was over.
Barrack wrote, “The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), led by Kurds, demonstrated they were the most capable ground ally in ’s territorial caliphate by 2019, holding thousands of ISIS fighters and family members captive in prisons and camps like al-Hol and al-Shaddadi. At that time, no operational central Syrian government existed to partner with — the Assad regime was weakened, contested, and not a viable partner against ISIS due to its alliances with Iran and Russia.”
He added, “Today, the situation has changed drastically. Syria now has a recognized central authority that has joined the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS (as its 90th member in late 2025), indicating a shift toward the West and .”
Iham Ahmed, a leading Syrian Kurdish political figure, said in an interview with Digital that, “We really wished to see a firm position from the U.S. The Kurdish people are at the risk of extermination. The U.S. does not give any solid or tangible guarantees.”
Ahmed expressed skepticism about statements like Barrack’s, cautioning that the “Syrian army continues to be made up of radical factions that no one can trust. Alawites, Christians, Sunnis and Druze cannot trust these factions. We could face massacres, which happened in other Syrian cities.”
When Digital inquired whether the SDF would like Israel to step in to aid the Kurds as it previously assisted the Syrian Druze and other minorities last year, Ahmed said, “Whoever wants to help us should do so – today is the day.” She added that “the Islamic State is presenting itself as an official army. Everyone is threatened now.”
She called for a “special status for the Kurdish region” in northeastern Syria.
Ahmed charged the Erdoğan administration with malicious interference. “Turkey is orchestrating the attacks on our region. Turkish intelligence and proxy forces are leading attacks. Statements from Turkey are promoting the elimination of our people,” she claimed.
Digital submitted a press inquiry to the Turkish embassy spokesman in Washington D.C.
The prominent head of the Family Research Council, Tony Perkins, posted on X stating, “Sen. Graham is right. I’ve been discussing the situation in NE Syria with Republican House leaders. It’s contrary to American interests for Islamist forces to take control of land previously controlled by trusted U.S. allies who protected minorities and advanced religious freedom. Yet this is happening as Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa’s forces move into northeast Syria, pushing out the Syrian Democratic Forces — our partners in the fight against ISIS, who lost thousands of fighters, guarded U.S. bases, and detained ISIS prisoners.”
He continued, “Before we extend trust to al-Sharaa, a who fought U.S. forces in Iraq and was held at Abu Ghraib, he must demonstrate he is trustworthy. So far, he is not measuring up.”
Sinam Mohamad, the representative of the Syrian Democratic Council to the U.S., criticized the administration, saying in an interview with Digital, “American officials persist in calling the SDF a reliable partner in that limited operation. Washington refrains from characterizing the relationship as a political alliance. The U.S. never intended a long-term political commitment to the Syrian Kurds. It was a military partnership without political assurances. From Washington’s view, that’s consistency. From the Kurdish view, that’s betrayal.”
She mentioned an of a ceasefire has occurred, “But both the SDF and outside observers observed ongoing [Syrian] government military build-ups near Kurdish-held areas, indicating hostilities might restart.” She added, “The Kurds want to have peace and stability through negotiations.”