Turkey confirms arrival of 6 US Servicemen for creation of 'safe zone' in northern Syria

Sputnik
Mon, 12 Aug 2019 17:10 UTC

© AP Photo / DHA-Depo Photos

Turkish troops take control of Bursayah hill, which separates the Kurdish-held enclave of Afrin from the Turkey-controlled town of Azaz, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018

Earlier on Monday, the Haberturk broadcaster said 90 US military personnel had arrived in the province of Sanliurfa and had been delivered to the centre's premises in the town of Akcakale on the border with Syria. US troops were flown to Turkey's Sanliurfa Province and taken to the border city of Akcakale, the channel said.

The Turkish Defense Ministry has confirmed the arrival of six US military personnel who will be involved in the work of the coordination centre for joint operations and the planned security zone in northern Syria.

© South Front

Washington and Ankara announced a deal last week on a buffer zone between Turkey and US-backed Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria. Turkish authorities consider them to be an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is banned in the country.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had previously threatened to invade the territory east of the Euphrates River to secure the border from Kurdish forces.

The Syrian government has objected to the US-Turkish deal as an attack on its sovereignty because both countries' militaries are operating in Syria without permission from Damascus.

Comment: Sputnik further reported:

"The safe zone in Syria should extend 30-40 kilometres depthward from the Turkish border. This is exactly in this direction that we expect steps to be made [by the United States]", Akar said, as aired by NTV broadcaster.

He added that Turkey was ready to create the safe zone solo as well.

"We have plans B and C", Akar stressed.

Ankara and Washington have recently reached agreement on creating the safe zone at Syria's border with Turkey and a centre to coordinate joint operations. Turkey stated that it wanted a safe zone an average 30-40 km to the south of its border with Syria, east of the Euphrates River, that would be controlled by Turkey in coordination with the United States and be completely cleared of the PKK and YPG, whom it views as a single organisation and regards as terrorists. Ankara warned that that should the two sides fail to reach an understanding on the matter, Turkey will establish the safe zone unilaterally.

Last week, President Erdogan warned that Turkey will launch an operation east of the Euphrates River in Syria 'very soon', despite the US calls to avoid any unilateral action.

Meanwhile, Damascus opposes the decision, qualifying this as a violation both of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and of international law.

The territory in the east of the Euphrates is currently controlled by the self-defence forces, which mainly include Kurdish-led militants.

For years, Turkey has launched operations against the Kurds in the south-east of the country as well as in the northern parts of Iraq and Syria. The major crackdown on the Kurdish militias started in Turkey in 2015 and resulted in massive casualties, including the death of civilians.

This has been Turkey's goal since at least 2016, with incursions into Syria on a regular basis, in the name of 'security' (sounds just like Israel, yes?)

• Turkey intends to expand "security zone" 45km into Syria
• Turkey has established full control over Syria's Afrin district according to General Staff office
• Erdogan tells Trump that Turkey ready to take over Syria's Manbij

Needless to say, Syria is not happy, viewing the action as another land grab by another hostile nation (again, cue Israel and the Golan Heights):

Cavusoglu: Create US-Turkish safe zone to eliminate Kurds. Syria calls it 'flagrant aggression' and interference