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US President-elect Joe Biden nominated Brett McGurk, an outspoken advocate of American military presence in Syria and staunch detractor of the Turkish government, as Middle East coordinator on the National Security Council.

"I’ve had the privilege of serving with President-elect Joe Biden over the last decade. He’s the leader we need at this critical moment in history. I’ll be honored to join his NSC team under the leadership of
Jake Sullivan," McGurk tweeted. 

McGurk, a veteran of the national security establishment who served in various capacities under successive Democratic and Republican administrations, has frequently criticised the Turkish government over its role in Syria and broader regional policies, Middle East Eye reports.

McGurk quit his role as the US envoy to the international coalition to combat the Islamic State (IS) group late in 2018 over President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw American troops from northern Syria.

Biden formally announced McGurk's appointment on Friday along with the nomination of other national security officials and Cabinet members.

Turkish officials have long viewed McGurk with suspicion over his role in strengthening the partnership between US forces and the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which is led by the YPG militia - a Syrian offshoot of the Turkey-based PKK.

In 2017, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu openly called for McGurk's removal. "Brett McGurk, the USA's special envoy in the fight against Daesh [IS], is definitely and clearly giving support to the PKK and YPG. It would be beneficial if this person is changed," Cavusoglu said at the time.

Late in 2019, McGurk suggested that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan may have been harbouring IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who was killed in a US raid weeks earlier.