Washington warns of “costly setbacks” in northern Syria if Turkey attacks
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – In a press briefing on Tuesday, the spokesman for the US Department of State, Ned Price, renewed his country’s concerns of a breach to the 2019 ceasefire agreement in northeast Syria, and said that any escalation by Turkey would affect the battle against the Islamic State Organization (ISIS).
“I’ve previously made the point that we expect Turkey to live up to the commitments that it made in October of 2019, including the commitment to halt offensive operations in northeast Syria,” Price said.
He added that any aggression on Syria by Turkey could affect the efforts made to achieve regional stability and result in “costly setbacks” in the their fight against ISIS.
On May 23, Erdogan announced taking steps to complete the so-called remained portions of the “safe zone” plan along Turkey’s southern border saying, “We will soon take new steps regarding the incomplete portions of the project we started on the 30 km deep safe zone we established along our southern border.”
The Turkish “safe zone” is an area of 30-35 km (19-22 miles) deep into Syrian territory that Turkey started establishing in 2019 to house Syrian refugees in an area along its border with Syria, as well as to keep it free from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which it regards as terrorists.
On May 25, Turkey’s National Security Council said that Turkey’s “existing and future military operations along its southern borders were necessary for the country’s security.” In the meeting, Erdogan delivered a speech to the MPs of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and said, “Turkish military would continue to rid its neighbour of terrorists” refers to the SDF.
On June 1, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan renewed his threats of launching a military operation on northern Syria, and specified his targets in the two Syrian cities of Manbij and Tel Rifaat, which include many Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
“Any new escalation beyond those existing ceasefire lines could prove to be especially costly setbacks – costly setbacks to our collective efforts to counter Daesh, the efforts of the counter-ISIS coalition, but also to our efforts to promote political stability within Syria.” He noted.
The spokesman reiterated his country’s rejection of a Turkish military operation against northern Syria and noted that they made this clear to their Turkish partners.
“This is something that we have had an opportunity to discuss, including at senior levels, with our Turkish allies. We’ve made very clear to them our concerns with any renewed offensive in northern Syria.”