Thursday, January 18, 2018

'Turkey's Concerns are Legitimate': Pentagon on Kurdish Border Force in Syria

'Turkey's Concerns are Legitimate'
Ankara has repeatedly threatened to launch a military operation to prevent the creation of a US-backed Kurdish border security force in Syria, a move seen as a possible threat to country’s national security. The Pentagon, however, has said it is not creating a "new army" at the Turkish border.


The Pentagon has said it is not creating a "new army" or conventional "border guard force" along the Turkish border and assured that the United States would be "completely transparent" with Ankara about its plan to train border protection forces comprised of the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northern Syria.

"The US continues to train local security forces in Syria. The training is designed to enhance security for displaced persons returning to their devastated communities," the statement read. "We are keenly aware of the security concerns of Turkey, our coalition partner and NATO ally. Turkey's security concerns are legitimate."

Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister and Government Spokesman Bekir Bozdag said that Turkey would not hesitate to take measures in Syria’s northern Kurdish-controlled Afrin enclave and other areas unless Washington stops supporting the idea of a Kurdish-led border force in the region.
 (Sputnik)
 18/1/18
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5 comments:

  1. Echoing previous administrations, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said the “new” strategy in Syria will involve a long-term American military presence and regime change in order to secure US interests...
    Speaking at Stanford University's Hoover Institution Wednesday, Tillerson sought to distance President Donald Trump’s policy in Syria from former President Barack Obama’s approach.

    “We cannot make the same mistakes that were made in 2011, when a premature departure from Iraq allowed Al-Qaeda in Iraq to survive and eventually morph into ISIS,” Tillerson said.

    Instead, he said, the US now intends to maintain an open-ended military presence in Syria, and that the American mission in the country will be “conditions based.”

    Tillerson said the US will remain in Syria until several “key end states” are met. These include, the defeat of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS), the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar Assad, and stamping out the Iranian influence in the country.
    RT

    ReplyDelete
  2. The diplomatic efforts of the United States in Syria will focus on stabilization measures and a political solution to the conflict there, but not on nation-building, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in a speech on the US strategy in Syria...

    Meanwhile, the United States has sent additional diplomats to Syria since May to help address the country's conflict, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson stressed in a speech.

    "Since May, the United States has deployed additional diplomats to the affected areas in Syria working with the United Nations, our partners in the global coalition to defeat ISIS [Daesh] and various non-governmental organizations," Tillerson said.

    Moreover, US Secretary of State said that the United States would maintain a military presence in Syria to ensure that the Daesh terror group does not re-emerge in the country.

    "The United States will maintain a military presence in Syria focused on ensuring ISIS [Daesh] cannot re-emerge," Tillerson stressed in a speech on the US strategy in Syria.
    SPUTNIK

    ReplyDelete
  3. The US will maintain an open-ended military presence in Syria to ensure the enduring defeat of the jihadist group Islamic State, counter Iranian influence, and help end the civil war.
    Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said President Donald Trump did not want to "make the same mistakes" that were made in 2011, when US forces left Iraq.
    The US has about 2,000 troops in Syria.
    Mr Tillerson denied the US was training a Kurdish-led border force, but Turkey accused it of sending mixed signals.
    BBC

    ReplyDelete
  4. A source at Syria’s foreign ministry said on Thursday that the United States’ military presence in Syria is illegitimate, a blatant breach of international laws and violation of the Arab country’s national sovereignty...

    The source rejected US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s comments on Syria and said that such remarks are interference in sovereign states’ internal affairs, violate international laws and contradict the most important theories of the constitutional law.

    The source added that the US presence and all what the US administration has done are “aimed at protecting the Daesh (ISIL or ISIS) terrorist organization” which has been created by the US administration, Syria’s official news agency, SANA, reported.

    The source described the developments in Raqqa as an evidence that showed the US did not try to eliminate Daesh.

    The Syrian government does not need one dollar from the United States for reconstruction because this dollar is stained with the blood of Syrians, the source said, adding that “the US administration only creates destruction and suffering.”
    (Tasnim)

    ReplyDelete
  5. A military source within the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) reported on Thursday that a Federal Structure in Eastern Euphrates will be recognized by the US after establishment of new Military Force under the US support and arrival of the US diplomats in the region.
    The Arabic-language al-Hadath news quoted the SDF source as reporting that the US-led coalition plans to remain in Syria and back up a Federal Structure in the Northern part of the country.
    FARS

    ReplyDelete

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