Reports: U.S. forces take control of Syrian air base

The facility, near the city of Rmeilan in Hasakah province, is the first U.S.-controlled air base in Syria.

A spokesperson for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said the base was handed over to the U.S. to support Kurdish fighters against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). It had been under the control of the U.S.-backed Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) for over two years.

“Under a deal with the YPG, the U.S. was given control of the airport. The purpose of this deal is to back up the SDF, by providing weapons and an airbase for U.S. warplanes,” Taj Kordsh, an official from the SDF, told Al Jazeera on Jan. 19.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has confirmed the U.S. has taken control of the base.

Full article: Reports: U.S. forces take control of Syrian air base (The World Tribune)