“SDG Is PKK”: US Ambassador Tom Barrack’s Blunt Take on Syria and Kurdish Statehood
Big political news coming out of Washington that’s sure to spark heated discussions in Ankara and beyond. In a recent interview with CNN Türk’s Washington correspondent Yunus Paksoy, US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy for Syria, Tom Barrack, got very direct about the US view on the SDG, YPG, and PKK.
“SDG Is YPG, and YPG Is PKK”
Barrack said outright that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDG) are essentially the same as YPG, and the YPG is, in his words, PKK.
He went on to say:
“The PKK has started to lay down arms. Öcalan is still there, in isolation. I used to think that place was a paradise island, but they keep him in solitary confinement. That’s a huge issue for Turkey. The PKK situation is messy, no doubt. But the YPG grew out of the PKK—that’s just reality.”
“We Don’t Owe Them a State”
One of the key points Barrack made was pushing back on this idea that the US owes the SDG or Kurdish fighters a state of their own just because they fought alongside US forces against ISIS.
“Some Americans feel like we owe them something because they were our partners. But we don’t owe them a state within a state. What we do owe them is a fair path toward integration into Syria’s future—whatever that looks like.”
He stressed that Syria itself wasn’t looking to break into pieces and said clearly:
“There can’t be separate armies dressing like Druze, Alawites, or Kurds. Syria wants one unified military and political structure. They’ve been in power for 7 months and are trying to merge everything.”
That’s a pretty strong signal from the US that federalism—or a separate Kurdish zone with military autonomy—is not something Washington is backing.
That March Deal? Didn’t Work
Barrack also referenced an agreement that was reached in March (which didn’t get much traction in the press at the time), saying it fell apart because it was rushed.
“They agreed in principle but didn’t sort out the details. That’s why it failed. Now it’s time to sit down, work out the specifics, and stop playing political games like kids in a sandbox.”
And then came maybe the clearest message to the SDG:
“They think we owe them something major. We don’t. We owe them a fair process. But if they don’t act reasonably, we’ll have to look at other options.”
What This Means
Barrack’s comments are probably going to land like a bombshell in both Turkish and Kurdish political circles. For Turkey, this is basically confirmation that the US sees YPG and PKK as one and the same—something Ankara’s been arguing for years. But for Kurdish groups in northern Syria, this is a cold reminder that Washington is not backing an independent Kurdish state.
Whether this changes anything on the ground remains to be seen, but one thing’s for sure—this is not diplomatic business-as-usual. Barrack didn’t mince words, and the fallout could get loud.
