US starts providing weapons to Syrian Kurds - media

The United States said it started distributing arms to Syrian Kurdish militia battling to help retake the city of Raqqa from ISIS.

Pentagon spokesman Major Adrian Rankine-Galloway said the Kurdish fighters received small arms and vehicles from the US military. He believed the arms were distributed earlier on Tuesday.

Another US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the distribution of the arms had started in the past 24 hours, based on authority given by President Donald Trump earlier this month.

US officials have told Reuters that the United States was also looking to boost intelligence cooperation with Turkey to support its fight against the PKK.