ISTANBUL

The Pentagon has allocated $130 million for 2026 under the "Counter-ISIS Train and Equip Fund (CTEF)" for groups in Syria including the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a group led by the PKK/YPG terrorist organization.

According to a Department of Defense document on the justification of its 2026 budget, the fund aims to support the training, equipment and monthly stipends of the US-backed SDF and Syrian Free Army based in southeastern Syria, along with "vetted partner forces" in Iraq and Lebanon.

Indicating that the allocation includes light weapons along with medical supplies and facility repairs, it said an ISIS (Daesh) "resurgence is a threat to U.S. national interests, the people of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and the global community."

Of the $130 million earmarked for Syria, $7.42 million was allocated to the Syrian Free Army, according to the document, which indicated that the group is expected to "extend its reach" against ISIS elements in the Badiyah Desert region.

The total budget the Pentagon allocated for groups including the PKK/YPG terror group under the pretext of fighting ISIS in Syria was $147.9 million in 2025 and $156 million in 2024.

In its 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US and the European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children, infants and the elderly. The YPG is its Syrian offshoot.

For the first time, the Pentagon’s budget also includes $15 million in support for the Lebanese Armed Forces to strengthen their counterterrorism capacity, particularly in the southern Litani area near Israel. The document notes that ISIS continues to exploit the porous Syria-Lebanon border for logistics and recruitment.