(CNSNews.com) - A Pentagon spokesman on Thursday did not deny that American troops in Syria are wearing the insignia of the YPG, a Kurdish rebel group despised by Turkey, as a way of blending in with the Syrian troops who are moving south toward Raqqa.
“Special operations forces, when they operate in certain areas, do what they can to, if you will, blend in with the community to enhance their own protection, their own security,” Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said on Thursday.
The question arose after a photographer for Agence France-Presse snapped pictures of American special operators wearing the YPG green patch on their upper arm as they embedded with Kurdish fighters.
"Is it appropriate for U.S. forces to be identified so closely with the YPG, given the nature of the operation in Raqqa, and the fact that it's an Arab town?" a reporter asked Cook at Thursday's press briefing. Raqqa is a key part of the Islamic State's self-declared caliphate.
"I'm -- first of all, you know our policy with regard to our special operations forces, that we're not going to talk very much about their activities, where they are and what they're doing for obvious reasons," Cook responded.
"They're carrying out a mission; they are exposing themselves to significant risk. And I'm not going to do anything up here that in any way gives anyone the ability to identify where our forces are operating and what they're up to at any moment in time. I hope you would understand that."
The reporter noted that the AFP photographs are now in the public domain, and the U.S. troops did not shy away from the photographer. "So my question is: Is it appropriate to have a YPG badge on your shoulder?"
"I'm not going to comment about specific photos," Cook said. "What I will say is that special operations forces, when they operate in certain areas, do what they can to, if you will, blend in with the community to enhance their own protection, their own security.
"And special operations forces in the past have worked with partners, and in the past have conducted themselves in such a way that they -- that they might operate in an atmosphere in which they are supportive of that local force in their advise and assist role.
"And they might be, again, for visual purposes, might be blending in with the local community. So...
"So it's a solidarity thing with that partner?" the reporter asked.
"I'm not going to get into describing it other than our forces need to take the steps that they need to take in order to carry out their mission and to protect themselves and take every available step they can take to try and -- and, again, carry out their mission and be safe in the process of doing so."
Later, Cook said that "special operations forces in the past have, yes, worn -- have worn insignias and other identifying marks with some of their partner forces, yes, that's true."
What about the United States' "sensitive relations" with Turkey? the reporter asked.
(Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in February that the U.S. must choose between Turkey and the PYD. Turkey views the PYD and its YPG armed wing as terrorists due to their affiliation to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a group that has waged a separatist struggle in southeastern Turkey for three decades.)
Cook did not answer the question, repeating that he would not discuss the AFP photos.
But he did confirm that "there is activity north of Raqqa."
"And my understanding is, three villages that were held by ISIL may no longer be held by ISIL at this point. And so it continues to be an effort to isolate Raqqa and to, again, challenge ISIL in as many ways as possible. And that's consistent with what we've been seeing there and in other parts of the fight against ISIL, whether it's Iraq or Syria."
Another reporter asked if the U.S. special operators are embedded on the forward lines with the YPG.
Cook said several times that U.S. troops are "not on the forward line" but are providing advice and assistance to those who are.
"I'm not going to talk about location of our forces. But again, we've told you for -- that we do have special operations forces in Syria; that they are an advise and assist mission with forces that are carrying out the fight against ISIL; trying to lend their support to them; use their skill set and their capabilities to enhance the effectiveness of those forces. They are not at the front line. They are, again, in an advisory role to those forces. And they're going to continue to do that."
Reporters continued to press Cook, one of them asking him to "explain if there has been a change recently in what U.S. troops are allowed to do and where they're allowed to go in Raqqa? Because we have consistently been told that the U.S. troops there are far back from any kind of fighting, and in a clear advising role. And now there is photographic evidence -- I'm not asking you to confirm it -- but there is photographic evidence of a journalist that they are at the forward line of troops, hand in hand with Syrian Democratic Forces fighting against ISIS, and that they're within 30 miles of Raqqah.
'So, can you explain whether there has been some change in what they are allowed to do there? Are they now in a more kinetic offensive role than has been disclosed to the media and the public in the past?"
Cook said the "advise and assist" role has not changed.
"They have been meeting and working closely with forces taking the fight to ISIL and will continue to do so. And they're continuing to meet with the leadership people who are leading that fight and providing the support and resources necessary to assist them to be as successful as they can in their mission. And that's been the role of our forces, those special operations forces since they got there and will continue to be. Nothing has changed."
Asked to define what "forward line" means to the Pentagon, Cook said "there's no specific measurement that I'm using here.
"But I think, again, our forces in Iraq and Syria, their instructions, their mission is clear that they are not at that leading edge. They're able to defend themselves, but they have to be in a position to be able to provide the kind of advice and assistance needed to help these forces, these local forces succeed.
"So, they're doing that, understanding their mission, and their -- the limits placed on them. And they're doing that in an effective way, and they have to, of course, be cognizant for their own personal safety and force protection of their fellow teammates...And so, there is no -- I don't have a yardstick measurement for you. And again, this is a fluid situation where the forward line of troops can be moving.
"And so they're doing their best to adjust to the circumstances on the ground, carrying out their mission in an effective way as possible."
Maybe U.S. troops are not in the lead, but "it seems like they might be in the chase vehicle right behind the fight," a reporter noted.
"I'll leave it for you to characterize what you see there," Cook responded. "I'm just telling you what our forces, what their mission is, what they're doing. And that they're going to continue to carry out this mission and they've been effective in what they've done so far. And we have every expectation they'll continue to be effective."
President Obama annouced last month that he was sending 250 additional special operations forces to Syria to give the U.S. a better idea of what's going on there and who might be willing to fight the Islamic State.
Cook said on Thursday that the number of special operators in Syria has increased from the originial 50, "but I am not going to give you an exact number as to how many we have."