ANKARA: Turkey accused the United States on Tuesday of taking only “cosmetic steps” toward the creation of a so-called “safe zone” in northeast Syria and renewed Ankara’s threat of unilateral military intervention to form a buffer area along its border.
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told journalists that Washington was too strongly involved with US-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters and was stalling on plans for the safe zone.
Turkey has been pressing for the zone to keep the Syrian Kurdish fighters away from the border. Ankara considers the fighters terrorists, claiming they are linked to a Kurdish insurgency within Turkey’s borders.
The Syrian Kurdish fighters were the top US allies in the war against Daesh in Syria.
“We are speaking about an ally who cannot act independently from the terror organization,” Cavusoglu said, referring to the US “While on one side, it is taking cosmetic steps with us, on the other side, it is strengthening its engagement with” Syrian Kurdish fighters.
He was referring to recent joint Turkish-US helicopter patrols of the planned safe zone region, as well as a joint ground forces patrol that took place on Sunday. US troops on Saturday also conducted patrols with the local Syrian Kurdish-led forces, which annoyed Turkey.
“Turkey’s plans are ready,” Cavusoglu said. “To clear this region of terrorists is a matter of national security.”
The minister’s comments came as two US military officials were visiting Turkey for talks on what Ankara calls “safe zone.” The US and Syrian Kurdish forces refer to it as a “security mechanism.”
Turkey’s defense ministry said a delegation headed by Lt. Gen. Stephen Twitty, deputy commander of the US European Command, and Lt. Gen. Thomas Bergeson, deputy commander of the US Central Command, met Turkish military officials on Tuesday. The ministry said more discussions would be held Wednesday at a joint operations center near Turkey’s border with Syria.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sunday rifts remain in the way Turkey and the US envision the zone, claiming Washington was “trying to create a safe zone for the terrorist organization, not for us.”
So far, the Kurdish-led forces have withdrawn as deep as 14 kilometers (9 miles) from the border and have removed defensive positions, sand berms and trenches. The depth of the zone, as well as who will control it, is still being worked out.
Turkey has carried out several incursions into Syria during the country’s civil war in an effort to curb the expanding influence of the Kurdish forces.
Turkey accuses US of stalling on Syria ‘safe zone’ plans
Turkey accuses US of stalling on Syria ‘safe zone’ plans
- Cavusoglu said the US’ approach to the safe zone agreement has been unsatisfactory
- Turkey wants the operations to expand rapidly and push back Kurdish forces 32 km from the border
Syrian government foils Daesh plot to attack churches and New Year celebrations
- Bomber kills soldier in Aleppo, detonates explosives injuring 2 others
ALEPPO, DAMASCUS: The Syrian Interior Ministry announced on Thursday that it had thwarted a Daesh plot to carry out suicide attacks targeting New Year celebrations and churches, particularly in Aleppo.
The ministry said in a statement that, as part of ongoing counterterrorism efforts and careful monitoring of Daesh cells in cooperation with partner agencies, it had received intelligence indicating plans for suicide attacks targeting New Year celebrations in several provinces, particularly Aleppo, with a focus on churches and civilian gathering areas.
The ministry added that it took preemptive measures, including reinforcing security around churches, deploying mobile and fixed patrols, and setting up checkpoints across the city.
During operations at a checkpoint in Aleppo’s Bab Al-Faraj district, security forces intercepted a suspected Daesh member who opened fire. One internal security soldier was killed, and the attacker detonated explosives, injuring two others.
Daesh recently increased its attacks in Syria, and was blamed for an attack last month in Palmyra that killed three Americans.
On Dec. 13, two US soldiers and an American civilian were killed in an attack Washington blamed on a lone Daesh gunman in Palmyra.
In retaliation, American forces struck scores of Daesh targets in Syria.
Syrian authorities have also carried out several operations against Daesh since then, saying on Dec. 25 they had killed a senior leader of the group.
