Commander of US forces in Middle East secretly visits Syria

US Army Gen. Joseph Votel, the commander of American forces in the Middle East, made a secret visit to Syria on Saturday, the first of its kind by a senior US officer since the country's civil war started in 2011. Votel, who recently assumed command, visited YPG Kurdish militia forces and "Arab" forces in northern Syria and expressed satisfaction with their preparations to drive ISIS out of the country, reports said. The Arab forces visited by the general were not identified.
DEBKAfile's military and intelligence sources: The Americans are not reporting about the general's visit to US special forces troops based in northern Syria.