Turkey, which hosts 3 million Syrian refugees, has said it wants provide a safe zone for civilians to return to Syria.
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The United Nations has in the past expressed caution about encouraging returns of civilians too soon.
One Turkish soldier was killed in an August 27 rocket attack that Ankara blamed on the US-backed Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG).
Turkey’s ground operation in Syria in support of the Free Syrian Army is in Ankara’s national security interest, the State Department said Wednesday.
Washington says Turkish attacks on Kurdish-aligned militias damage a US -backed coalition that is fighting Islamic State. Damascus denounced the intervention as a breach of its sovereignty.
The Turkish fatalities came after Turkish troops and allied Syrian rebels on Sunday expelled IS from the last strip of territory the militant group controlled along the Syrian-Turkish border, effectively sealing the extremists’ self-styled caliphate off from the outside world.
When asked if ongoing USA cooperation with the Kurds would be a stumbling block, Erdogan said he didn’t consider it to be a problem, pointing to Turkey’s latest operation (Euphrates Shield), which has gone smoothly so far. “From now on, we have to demonstrate our presence in the region”, he said.
No details are given as to what a Turkish part might amount to but certainly if Raqqa is assaulted then the Turkish border being approached by the zone to the north of the city must be fixed to block the drawback of fleeing IS forces.
Erdogan’s remarks came as a surprise since Turkey’s desire to implement a no-fly zone over northern Syria was rejected by the U.S. on Tuesday. The opposition said the roadmap would start with six months of negotiations based on the Geneva Statement, to be followed by a transitional phase of 18 months during which a transitional administration will be formed without Bashar Assad.
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The Russian Foreign Ministry has stated that Turkish actions “could further complicate an already challenging military and political situation in Syria and negatively affect global efforts to devise a settlement platform that would ensure a more sustainable ceasefire, uninterrupted humanitarian access and would provide a solid foundation for conciliation and overcoming the crisis in this country”.
