US General Joseph Votel, the commander of the US Central Command (CENTCOM), has secretly headed to Northern Syria to meet US-backed militant groups, two days after announcing that Washington was mulling more US boots on the ground in the Arab country.
Votel, who oversees the US-led military operations against alleged Daesh (ISIL) targets in Iraq and Syria, visited the frontline cities of Kobani and Raqqah on Friday and met with commanders of the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militants.
According to Talal Sello, a spokesman for the SDF, Votel discussed the militant group’s Raqqah offensive and the possible ways to expand coordination and support during the hours-long meeting.
The SDF launched its campaign to capture Raqqah in November 2016 and took control of some areas up the Euphrates Valley. The group enjoys air support from the US-led coalition, which has been conducting airstrikes in Syria since 2014.
