Kurds say United States agreed to stay in Syria

After meetings in Washington with representatives of the White House, the State Department and the Pentagon, one of Syria's top Kurdish leaders told Reuters that the United States had given a clear commitment to the Kurds.

"Recently, everybody thought the United States would withdraw but they were clearly saying they would stay as long as the Islamic State presence persisted," said Ilham Ahmed, a Kurdish political leader and president of the executive committee of the Syrian Democratic Council.

"Countries like Russia also made preparations to assist for a healthier dialogue with the Syrian regime," Ahmed said.