United States – The US Department of State announced limited support for the PYD in February 2016,[59] although it opposes the unilateral establishment of a federal region in northern Syria.[60] In March 2016, the day after the declaration of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter praised the YPG militia as having "proven to be excellent partners of ours on the ground in fighting ISIL. We are grateful for that, and we intend to continue to do that, recognizing the complexities of their regional role."[61] The USA have usually supported the YPG militia in its fight against ISIL, both with air support in combat and with embedded US Special Forces.