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Mon, 8 Sep 2014 18:56 PM

Members of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) help displaced people from the minority Yazidi sect, who are fleeing violence from forces loyal to the Islamic State in Sinjar town, as they make their way towards the Syrian border, on the outskirts of Sinjar mountain, near the Syrian border town of Elierbeh of Al-Hasakah Governorate, in this August 10, 2014 file photo. In Iraq, Kurds are one of the main Western allies against Islamic State. But in Syria, where Kurdish militia have carved out a swathe of northern territory and repeatedly battled against Islamic State during a three-and-a-half year civil war, Kurds have yet to win the West's acceptance as partners. The main Kurdish political party in Syria, the PYD, and its armed wing, the YPG, say they are obvious allies for Western states as the only force with a proven track record of combating Islamic State there. The Kurds are dismissive of the moderate Syrian opposition that has been backed by the West but outgunned by Islamist groups. But the West has so far kept Syria's Kurds at arm's length. NATO member Turkey has concerns over the PYD's historic links to the separatist PKK that fought for Kurdish rights on the Turkish side of the border. And pro-Western Syrian opposition groups accuse the PYD of having cooperated with Assad's government to take control of territory in 2012, which the Kurds deny. To match story SYRIA-CRISIS/KURDS REUTERS/Rodi Said/Files (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT)

Mon, 8 Sep 2014 18:56 PM

Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) members drive during a military parade in the Kurdish town of Efrin, in this August 14, 2014 file photo. The main Kurdish political party in Syria, the PYD, and its armed wing, the YPG, say they are obvious allies for Western states as the only force with a proven track record of combating Islamic State there. The Kurds are dismissive of the moderate Syrian opposition that has been backed by the West but outgunned by Islamist groups. But the West has so far kept Syria's Kurds at arm's length. NATO member Turkey has concerns over the PYD's historic links to the separatist PKK that fought for Kurdish rights on the Turkish side of the border. And pro-Western Syrian opposition groups accuse the PYD of having cooperated with Assad's government to take control of territory in 2012, which the Kurds deny. To match story SYRIA-CRISIS/KURDS REUTERS/Boushkin Mohammed Ali/Files (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT)

Mon, 8 Sep 2014 18:56 PM

Displaced people from the minority Yazidi sect, who are fleeing violence from forces loyal to the Islamic State in Sinjar town, get help from a member of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) as they make their way towards the Syrian border, on the outskirts of Sinjar mountain, near the Syrian border town of Elierbeh of Al-Hasakah Governorate, in this August 10, 2014 file photo. In Iraq, Kurds are one of the main Western allies against Islamic State. But in Syria, where Kurdish militia have carved out a swathe of northern territory and repeatedly battled against Islamic State during a three-and-a-half year civil war, Kurds have yet to win the West's acceptance as partners. The main Kurdish political party in Syria, the PYD, and its armed wing, the YPG, say they are obvious allies for Western states as the only force with a proven track record of combating Islamic State there. The Kurds are dismissive of the moderate Syrian opposition that has been backed by the West but outgunned by Islamist groups. But the West has so far kept Syria's Kurds at arm's length. NATO member Turkey has concerns over the PYD's historic links to the separatist PKK that fought for Kurdish rights on the Turkish side of the border. And pro-Western Syrian opposition groups accuse the PYD of having cooperated with Assad's government to take control of territory in 2012, which the Kurds deny. To match story SYRIA-CRISIS/KURDS REUTERS/Rodi Said/Files (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT MILITARY)