The two fighters, one an Arab sniper, the other his Kurdish commander, are each driven by a personal grudge against the Islamic State (IS) group. They are working side by side in an elite commando unit of the U.S.-backed forces fighting the militants in the Syrian city of Raqqa.
But they have vastly different visions of what happens once they succeed.
More turmoil in store?
Abdullah, the Arab fighter, fears the militants’ fall in Raqqa will only be the start of more turmoil. He worries it will unleash a wave of bloodshed among the area’s Sunni Arab community as residents seek revenge on neighbours who joined the group.
For Erdal, the Kurd and the unit commander, the battle for Raqqa is a step toward realising his people’s dream of autonomy in the Kurdish heartland of northern Syria. Next, he and many other Kurds believe, will come a fight with their nemesis Turkey, which has sent troops into Syria in part to thwart Kurdish ambitions.
Another danger once IS falls is of a backlash among Raqqa’s Sunni Arab population against the Kurds. Many in the community deeply resent Kurdish ambitions and see their hopes for self-rule as intended to break apart the country.
The two men’s views reflect the differing priorities run through the alliance between Kurdish and Arab fighters in the Syrian Democratic Forces, which the United States forged together to wage the fight against the IS. The SDF has proven a startling success in bringing together Kurds and Arabs.
For Arab fighters, the force is a chance to get vital training, funds and experience from the Americans, working alongside U.S. special forces advisers on the front lines.
U.S. officials say the SDF, estimated at 50,000 fighters, is 50% Arab, with new recruits coming from liberated areas in Raqqa province.
The Kurds, meanwhile, see the alliance with the U.S. as essential to securing their hold across northern Syria “from the threat of an attack by Turkey or the Syrian regime,” said Noah Bonsey, a Syria expert with the International Crisis Group.
