Pentagon says it will arm Syrian Kurds, despite Turkey's objections

Trump has authorised arming Kurdish fighters 'as necessary to ensure a clear victory' to retake Raqqa

VILNIUS: President Donald Trump has authorised arming Kurdish fighters in Syria 'as necessary to ensure a clear victory' in a planned assault to retake the city of Raqqa from Islamic State, the Pentagon said on Tuesday, in a likely blow to US ties with Turkey.

Ankara had fiercely opposed supplying the Kurdish elements of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, viewing the YPG as the Syrian extension of the Kurdish PKK militant group, which has fought an insurgency in Turkey's southeast since 1984.

"We are keenly aware of the security concerns of our coalition partner Turkey," Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White, who is traveling with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis in Lithuania, said in a statement.

"We want to reassure the people and government of Turkey that the US is committed to preventing additional security risks and protecting our NATO ally."