Unspecified “state (Syrian government) actors in the region” were pressuring civilian populations “to realign and renounce support for the SDF,” a Pentagon Inspector General report released on Wednesday cited CENTCOM as saying.

“The Syrian regime and Russia are the most active in attempting to influence local populations to sever ties with the SDF,” CENTCOM spokesperson US Army Maj. John Rigsbee told al-Monitor.

The “existential threat” the Kurdish-led forces now face is “no longer [the Islamic State] but Turkey,” the report also said. Turkey then launched a military incursion against the SDF in October 2019, drawing fighters away from operations against IS.

The US military reported in March that there was no immediate indication Turkey was preparing a renewed attack on the SDF.

“The relationships are strained further by ethnic rivalry, poor security conditions, particularly in [Deir ez-Zor], perceptions of neglect, and accusations against the SDF of heavy-handed security actions,” the inspector general report reads. Conscription has also been a point of contention between the SDF and local populations.

Reporter’s code: 50101