Kurdish commander calls on US to 'intervene forcefully' in Syria clashes

By Feras Dalatey

DAMASCUS, Jan 18 (Reuters) - The U.S. should intervene more forcefully to end a Syrian offensive that has gained key territory from Kurdish fighters in recent days, the head of the main Kurdish forces told Reuters. 

Government troops launched an offensive on Saturday into territory run for the last decade by semi-autonomous Kurdish authorities in the northeast of Syria, capturing towns on both sides of the Euphrates River as well as the country's largest oilfield and a gas field, officials and security sources said.

People's Protection Units (YPG) commander Sipan Hamo said a Saturday meeting between U.S. envoy Tom Barrack and Kurdish officials produced no roadmap to a ceasefire. He denied Syria's Kurds wanted to secede or create an independent state and said their future was in Syria.

"Our greatest hope is that there will be a tangible outcome, especially from the coalition and the United States, meaning that they will intervene more forcefully in the existing problems than what they are currently doing," Hamo said.

Syrian troops have continued to advance, despite a U.S. military Central Command call on them to halt.

Hamo said Kurdish authorities recognised that Washington now had to balance its years-long alliance with Kurdish forces, who helped defeat the Islamic State in Syria, with its newfound support for Syria's government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa. 

But given Kurdish "concerns about the changes taking place," the U.S. should offer assurances of protection to them.

"In the current situation and the chaos we are living in, the only ones who can offer guarantees are the United States or the coalition," he added in a rare interview from Hasakeh province, which is still under Kurdish control. 

"We believe that the responsibility for everything currently happening inside Syria lies with the Western countries, and especially the United States of America," Hamo added.

Hamo denied that the YPG was receiving support from Iran or Russia, while suggesting a hope that Israel would intervene on behalf of Syria's Kurds. 

"Of course, we consider Israel a powerful state in the region with its own agenda. We hope that the same stance taken by other countries in the region towards certain minorities in Syria will be extended to the Kurds as well," Hamo said.

Asked if he was referring to Israel's stance towards the Druze minority last summer - when Israel carried out air strikes on the defence ministry, near the presidential palace in Damascus and on Syrian troops advancing on Druze cities - Hamo said, "of course." 

(Reporting by Feras Dalatey; Writing by Maya Gebeily; Editing by Alexander Smith)