During a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Thursday, Sen. John McCain underscored the need for the Trump administration to address growing tensions between Turkey and Syrian Kurds.

McCain, the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, expressed his concerns while addressing the commander of U.S. Central Command, U.S. Army Gen. Joseph Votel, during the hearing, according to The Hill.

"Unless something changes, I foresee a train wreck here, and I'm not sure that the administration recognizes how seriously, particularly, [Turkish] President [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan views the threat that the Kurds pose," McCain said.

The recent uptick in clashes has concerned U.S. officials as the Pentagon considers plans for retaking the ISIS stronghold and de facto capital of Raqqa, Syria.

U.S.-backed Syrian Kurds and NATO ally Turkey have both played a role in the U.S.-led coalition to defeat ISIS. But the Kurds and Turkey have been clashing recently, as Turkey views Syrian Kurds as aligned with the PKK, a Kurdish separatist group in Turkey. Kurdish forces, also known as the YPG, are viewed with no distinction from the PKK by the Turkish government and Turkey has labeled the PKK as a terrorist group, according to the Atlantic Council.

The United States has worked directly with the YPG in both Syria and Iraq, and Syrian Kurds are considered to be the U.S.-led coalition's most effective ground partner in Syria. During the siege of Kobani in late 2014 and early 2015, YPG forces directed U.S. airstrikes, many of which were being launched from İncirlik Air Force Base in Turkey.

Recently, U.S. forces in Manbij in northern Syria have acted as a barrier between Kurdish and Turkish forces. Manbij was retaken from ISIS control by Kurdish and Syrian Arab forces last year.

During the siege of Kobani in 2014, tensions between Turkey and the Kurdish were a concern. On a recent trip to Turkey, McCain met with Erdogan, where the Turkish leader expressed a strong opposition of the U.S. working with Kurdish forces in Syria.

"I'm not sure there's an understanding of how seriously Erdogan views this issue, and I'm not sure we appreciate the role that Turkey plays in our effort to retake Raqqa, particularly in the use of Incirlik [Air Base] and other activities that require Turkish cooperation," McCain said.

Gen. Votel agreed with McCain's concerns when asked during the hearing. "We are trying to take actions to prevent [conflict] from occurring," he said. 

Votel told reporters after the hearing that he believes the increased U.S. presence is helping to encourage both sides to focus on defeating ISIS, rather than fighting one another.  

"I'm pretty confident the situation in Manbij, where we are located, is stabilizing," said Votel. "The whole idea here, is keep people focused on the mission at hand, which is defeating ISIS," he added.

As with fighting in Mosul, Iraq, current plans for Raqqa will require cooperation between varying forces in defeating ISIS. It is very likely that as the offensive begins, Kurdish fighters will near Turkish forces. As the U.S. works towards a plan for Raqqa, it does not want to have to keep the peace between the two groups, while trying to engage ISIS.

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