Kurdish YPG forces have still not fully withdrawn from a strip of land in northeast Syria from which Ankara says they must leave, Turkey's defence minister was quoted on Tuesday as saying, hours before a deadline for their removal expires.

Under an accord reached a week ago between the presidents of Turkey and Russia, Syrian border guards and Russian military police are meant to remove all YPG forces and their weapons from a 30 km (19 mile) band of territory south of the Turkish-Syrian border by 6 pm local time (1500 GMT) on Tuesday.

After that deadline, Russian and Turkish forces will start jointly to patrol a narrower, 10 km strip of land on the Syrian side of the border.

The deal, clinched in the Russian Black Sea town of Sochi, reinforced an existing US-brokered ceasefire that had halted Turkey's offensive, dubbed Operation Peace Spring, in northeast Syria targeting the YPG, which Ankara views as a terrorist organisation linked to Kurdish insurgents in southeast Turkey.

"It looks like the YPG terror organisation is still in the area of Operation Peace Spring," Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar told the Sabah newspaper in an interview.

"This fight (against terrorism) is not over. We are aware that it will not end."

Asked about the joint patrols planned with Russian forces in the border area, Akar said: "The rules of engagement, (the question of) which vehicles are to be used, the authorities and directives are to be determined."

A Russian delegation is currently in Turkey for talks on the border patrols and wider security situation in northeast Syria.

Akar said there were still around 1,000 YPG fighters in the border town of Manbij and a further 1,000 in nearby Tel Rifat. The two towns are located to the west of the strip of territory that Turkey wants to turn into a "safe zone" but Syrian and Russian forces are also meant to clear them of YPG forces.

President Tayyip Erdogan has said Turkey will act alone to clear northeast Syria of YPG forces if Russia fails to fulfil its obligations under the Sochi accord.

Turkey launched its offensive in northeast Syria after President Donald Trump said he was pulling 1,000 US military personnel from the area. Turkey's NATO allies, including the United States, have criticised Ankara's actions, fearing it will undermine the fight against Islamic State.

The YPG is the main component in the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which has been a key ally of the United States against the Islamic State militants.

Russia, a close ally of President Bashar al-Assad, has emerged as the key foreign power in Syria, its influence further bolstered by the withdrawal of US&nbsp;troops from the northeast.

Kurdish YPG forces have still not fully withdrawn from a strip of land in northeast Syria from which Ankara says they must leave, Turkey's defence minister was quoted on Tuesday as saying, hours before a deadline for their removal expires.

Kurdish YPG forces have still not fully withdrawn from a strip of land in northeast Syria from which Ankara says they must leave, Turkey's defence minister was quoted on Tuesday as saying, hours before a deadline for their removal expires. Under an accord reached a week ago between the presidents of Turkey and Russia, Syrian border guards and Russian military police are meant to remove all YPG forces and their weapons from a 30 km (19 mile) band of territory south of the Turkish-Syrian border by 6 pm local time (1500 GMT) on Tuesday. After that deadline, Russian and Turkish forces will start jointly to patrol a narrower, 10 km strip of land on the Syrian side of the border. The deal, clinched in the Russian Black Sea town of Sochi, reinforced an existing US-brokered ceasefire that had halted Turkey's offensive, dubbed Operation Peace Spring, in northeast Syria targeting the YPG, which Ankara views as a terrorist organisation linked to Kurdish insurgents in southeast Turkey. "It looks like the YPG terror organisation is still in the area of Operation Peace Spring," Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar told the Sabah newspaper in an interview. "This fight (against terrorism) is not over. We are aware that it will not end." Asked about the joint patrols planned with Russian forces in the border area, Akar said: "The rules of engagement, (the question of) which vehicles are to be used, the authorities and directives are to be determined." A Russian delegation is currently in Turkey for talks on the border patrols and wider security situation in northeast Syria. Akar said there were still around 1,000 YPG fighters in the border town of Manbij and a further 1,000 in nearby Tel Rifat. The two towns are located to the west of the strip of territory that Turkey wants to turn into a "safe zone" but Syrian and Russian forces are also meant to clear them of YPG forces. President Tayyip Erdogan has said Turkey will act alone to clear northeast Syria of YPG forces if Russia fails to fulfil its obligations under the Sochi accord. Turkey launched its offensive in northeast Syria after President Donald Trump said he was pulling 1,000 US military personnel from the area. Turkey's NATO allies, including the United States, have criticised Ankara's actions, fearing it will undermine the fight against Islamic State. The YPG is the main component in the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which has been a key ally of the United States against the Islamic State militants. Russia, a close ally of President Bashar al-Assad, has emerged as the key foreign power in Syria, its influence further bolstered by the withdrawal of US troops from the northeast.

Turkey says Kurdish YPG still in Syria border area as deadline looms

The military dog slightly wounded in the US raid which resulted in the death of Islamic State&nbsp;leader <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/remains-of-islamic-state-chief-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi-buried-at-sea-us-official-258568">Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi</a> is recovering and back on duty, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday.

General Mark Milley said the dog had performed a "tremendous service" during the special forces weekend assault in Syria that led to the death of the leader of the Islamic State group.

Watch Video:

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-us-kills-al-baghdadi-heres-how-it-unfolded-258558/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Announcing <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/russia-guarded-over-baghdadi-killing-world-leaders-say-fight-goes-on-258549">Baghdadi's death</a>, President Donald Trump said Sunday that the "beautiful" and "talented" dog had pursued the IS leader into a dark tunnel where he blew himself up with a suicide vest, killing himself and three children and wounding the dog.

Trump tweeted a picture of the dog on Monday, saying it did a "GREAT JOB."

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
We have declassified a picture of the wonderful dog (name not declassified) that did such a GREAT JOB in capturing and killing the Leader of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi! <a href="https://t.co/PDMx9nZWvw">pic.twitter.com/PDMx9nZWvw</a>
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1188909031403900928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

He said the name of the dog has not been declassified yet.

Milley also declined to provide the dog's name or any further details about the canine.

"We're not releasing the name of the dog right now," the general said.

He said the dog had been "slightly wounded and is fully recovering."

"The dog is still in theater, returned to duty, with its handler," he said.

The military dog slightly wounded in the US raid which resulted in the death of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is recovering and back on duty, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday.

The military dog slightly wounded in the US raid which resulted in the death of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is recovering and back on duty, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday. General Mark Milley said the dog had performed a "tremendous service" during the special forces weekend assault in Syria that led to the death of the leader of the Islamic State group. Watch Video: Announcing Baghdadi's death, President Donald Trump said Sunday that the "beautiful" and "talented" dog had pursued the IS leader into a dark tunnel where he blew himself up with a suicide vest, killing himself and three children and wounding the dog. Trump tweeted a picture of the dog on Monday, saying it did a "GREAT JOB." We have declassified a picture of the wonderful dog (name not declassified) that did such a GREAT JOB in capturing and killing the Leader of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi! pic.twitter.com/PDMx9nZWvw — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 28, 2019 × He said the name of the dog has not been declassified yet. Milley also declined to provide the dog's name or any further details about the canine. "We're not releasing the name of the dog right now," the general said. He said the dog had been "slightly wounded and is fully recovering." "The dog is still in theater, returned to duty, with its handler," he said.

'Declassified picture' of hero dog that helped to kill Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/baghdadi-died-whimpering-and-crying-after-running-into-a-dead-end-tunnel-says-trump-258391">President Donald Trump</a> said on Tuesday the US military had killed the person who likely would have succeeded<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/remains-of-islamic-state-chief-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi-buried-at-sea-us-official-258568"> Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi</a> as the leader of Islamic State.

"Just confirmed that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s number one replacement has been terminated by American troops," Trump said on Twitter. "Most likely would have taken the top spot."

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Just confirmed that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s number one replacement has been terminated by American troops. Most likely would have taken the top spot - Now he is also Dead!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1189172468159864832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 29, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Trump did not specify who he was referring to, but the United States on Monday confirmed the killing of Abu al-Hassan al-Muhajir, Islamic State spokesman and a high-ranking figure within the jihadi group.

US President Donald Trump on Sunday said that fugitive Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi died in a raid by US&nbsp;special forces in northwest Syria, in a major blow to the jihadist group.

Trump told the nation in a televised address from the White House that US forces killed a "large number" of Islamic State militants during the raid which culminated in cornering Baghdadi in a tunnel, where he set off a suicide vest.

"He ignited his vest, killing himself," Trump said.

"He died after running into a dead end tunnel, whimpering and crying and screaming all the way," Trump said, adding that three of Baghdadi's children also died in the blast.

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday the US military had killed the person who likely would have succeeded Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as the leader of Islamic State.

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday the US military had killed the person who likely would have succeeded Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as the leader of Islamic State. "Just confirmed that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s number one replacement has been terminated by American troops," Trump said on Twitter. "Most likely would have taken the top spot." Just confirmed that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s number one replacement has been terminated by American troops. Most likely would have taken the top spot - Now he is also Dead! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 29, 2019 × Trump did not specify who he was referring to, but the United States on Monday confirmed the killing of Abu al-Hassan al-Muhajir, Islamic State spokesman and a high-ranking figure within the jihadi group. US President Donald Trump on Sunday said that fugitive Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi died in a raid by US special forces in northwest Syria, in a major blow to the jihadist group. Trump told the nation in a televised address from the White House that US forces killed a "large number" of Islamic State militants during the raid which culminated in cornering Baghdadi in a tunnel, where he set off a suicide vest. "He ignited his vest, killing himself," Trump said. "He died after running into a dead end tunnel, whimpering and crying and screaming all the way," Trump said, adding that three of Baghdadi's children also died in the blast.

Trump says Baghdadi's top replacement also 'terminated'

The United States wants to bolster a coalition fighting Islamic State in northeastern Syria, a senior State Department official said on Monday, after the leader of the jihadi movement, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/isis-chief-baghdadi-died-crying-screaming-like-a-coward-by-us-soldiers-trump-258418">Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was killed</a> in the weekend operation.

World leaders welcomed his death, but they and security experts warned that the group, which carried out atrocities against religious minorities and horrified most Muslims, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/baghdadis-death-not-the-end-of-islamic-state-iran-258406">remained a security threat</a> in Syria and beyond.

The official said that President Donald Trump, by announcing the withdrawal of US&nbsp;forces from northern Syria on October&nbsp;6, did not suggest that Washington was abandoning the fight against Islamic State.

"There was never an idea that we would abandon the mission of going after ISIS. ... This is a major effort that is continuing," the official told reporters.

Foreign ministers will meet in Washington on November&nbsp;14 to discuss the mission.

"The United States is determined to prevent a resurgence of ISIS in Syria and Iraq and continues to work with the Global Coalition to destroy ISIS remnants and thwart its global ambitions," the US&nbsp;State Department said in a statement.

It said the Washington meeting's discussions would have a "particular focus on recent developments in northeast Syria and their relationship to stability and security of the region."

Trump has softened his <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/us-retreat-from-syria-could-see-islamic-state-roar-back-to-life-258190">pullout plans for Syria</a> after a backlash from Congress, including from fellow Republicans, who say he enabled a long-threatened Turkish incursion on October&nbsp;9 against Kurdish forces in Syria who had been America's top allies in the battle against Islamic State since 2014.

US&nbsp;special forces carried out the Syrian operation in which Baghdadi killed himself and three of his children by detonating a suicide vest when he was cornered in a tunnel.

Trump said on Monday he may declassify and release part of the video taken on Saturday of the raid. The video is believed to include aerial footage and possibly footage from cameras mounted on the soldiers who stormed Baghdadi's compound.

Trump said on Sunday that Baghdadi had died "whimpering and crying" in a raid that fulfilled the president's top national security goal.

The United States has given the remains of Baghdadi a burial at sea and afforded him religious rites according to Islamic custom, three officials told Reuters.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to say if the United States had told Russia about the operation in advance. Trump, in announcing the operation, said Russia "treated us great" by opening up airspace it controlled for the raid.

Peskov added: "If this information is confirmed, we can talk about a serious contribution by the president of the United States to the fight against international terrorism."

French President Emmanuel Macron said Baghdadi's death was a major blow against Islamic State, but "the fight continues to finally defeat this terrorist organisation".

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: "We will work with our coalition partners to bring an end to the murderous, barbaric activities of Daesh (Islamic State) once and for all."

In Southeast Asia, an important focus for Islamic State, officials said security forces were preparing for a long battle to thwart the group's ideology.

The Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia, home to some of Asia's most organised Islamist militants, said they were braced for retaliation by Islamic State loyalists, including "lone-wolf" attacks by radicalised locals.

The United States on Monday confirmed the killing of Abu al-Hassan al-Muhajir, Islamic State spokesman and a high-ranking figure within the jihadi group, in a separate US&nbsp;operation in northern Syria.

Although Baghdadi's death will unsettle Islamic State, it remains capable and dangerous, said Delfin Lorenzana, defence secretary of the Philippines, where the group's influence has taken a hold in its troubled Mindanao region.

"This is a blow to the organisation considering al-Baghdadi's stature as a leader. But this is just a momentary setback considering the depth and reach of the organisation worldwide," Lorenzana said. "Somebody will take his place."

Islamic State has no declared successor as leader. But the group has proved resilient, continuing to mount or inspire attacks in the region and beyond despite losing most of its territory in recent years.

Baghdadi had long been sought by the United States - which offered a $25 million reward - as leader of a jihadist group that at one point controlled large areas of Syria and Iraq, where it declared a caliphate.

Islamic State has brutally attacked religious minorities and launched deadly strikes on five continents in a violent campaign that horrified most Muslims.

In their long hunt for Baghdadi, Iraqi intelligence teams secured a break in February 2018 after one of his top aides gave them information on how he escaped capture for so many years, two Iraqi security officials said.

Baghdadi held strategy talks with his commanders in moving minibuses packed with vegetables in order to avoid detection, Ismael al-Ethawi told officials after he was arrested by Turkish authorities and handed to the Iraqis.

"Ethawi gave valuable information which helped the Iraqi multi-security agencies team complete the missing pieces of the puzzle of Baghdadi's movements and places he used to hide," one of the Iraqi security officials said.

Iraqi security officials said Kurdish intelligence agents had exchanged information with counterparts in Baghdad on the movements of Baghdadi and his aides in Syria. One of the Kurds' sources passed on a "golden tip" earlier this year.

Suspicious movements were spotted by locals at a house in a village in Syria, which was placed under surveillance and turned out to be the house used by Baghdadi, the Iraqi officials said.

The raid on Baghdadi comes weeks after Trump announced the withdrawal of US&nbsp;troops from northeastern Syria.

Critics expressed concern at the abandoning of the Kurdish fighters who were instrumental in defeating Islamic State in Syria, and said the move might allow the group to regain strength and pose a threat to US&nbsp;interests.

The Pentagon, however, said the United States would repel any attempt to take Syria's oilfields away from US-backed Syrian militia with "overwhelming force," whether the opponent is Islamic State or even forces backed by Russia or Syria.

Trump said the raid would not change his decision to withdraw troops from Syria.

But killing Baghdadi could help blunt those concerns, as well as boosting Trump domestically at a time when he is facing an impeachment inquiry in the US&nbsp;House of Representatives.

Egypt, which is fighting militants loyal to Islamic State, said the killing of Baghdadi was "an important step towards eradicating terrorism".

US&nbsp;foe Iran, which accuses the United States and its allies of creating Islamic State, was dismissive. Information Minister Mohammad Javad Azari-Jahromi tweeted: "Not a big deal, You just killed your creature".

At the height of its power, Islamic State ruled over millions of people from northern Syria to the outskirts of Baghdad.

Thousands of civilians were killed by the group as it mounted what the United Nations called a genocidal campaign against Iraq's Yazidi minority. It also caused worldwide revulsion by beheading foreign nationals from countries including the United States, Britain and Japan.

The group has claimed responsibility for or inspired attacks in cities including Paris, Nice, France, Orlando, Florida, Manchester, England, London and Berlin, and in Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

The United States wants to bolster a coalition fighting Islamic State in northeastern Syria, a senior State Department official said on Monday, after the leader of the jihadi movement, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was killed in the weekend operation.

The United States wants to bolster a coalition fighting Islamic State in northeastern Syria, a senior State Department official said on Monday, after the leader of the jihadi movement, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was killed in the weekend operation. World leaders welcomed his death, but they and security experts warned that the group, which carried out atrocities against religious minorities and horrified most Muslims, remained a security threat in Syria and beyond. The official said that President Donald Trump, by announcing the withdrawal of US forces from northern Syria on October 6, did not suggest that Washington was abandoning the fight against Islamic State. "There was never an idea that we would abandon the mission of going after ISIS. ... This is a major effort that is continuing," the official told reporters. Foreign ministers will meet in Washington on November 14 to discuss the mission. "The United States is determined to prevent a resurgence of ISIS in Syria and Iraq and continues to work with the Global Coalition to destroy ISIS remnants and thwart its global ambitions," the US State Department said in a statement. It said the Washington meeting's discussions would have a "particular focus on recent developments in northeast Syria and their relationship to stability and security of the region." Trump has softened his pullout plans for Syria after a backlash from Congress, including from fellow Republicans, who say he enabled a long-threatened Turkish incursion on October 9 against Kurdish forces in Syria who had been America's top allies in the battle against Islamic State since 2014. US special forces carried out the Syrian operation in which Baghdadi killed himself and three of his children by detonating a suicide vest when he was cornered in a tunnel. Trump said on Monday he may declassify and release part of the video taken on Saturday of the raid. The video is believed to include aerial footage and possibly footage from cameras mounted on the soldiers who stormed Baghdadi's compound. Trump said on Sunday that Baghdadi had died "whimpering and crying" in a raid that fulfilled the president's top national security goal. The United States has given the remains of Baghdadi a burial at sea and afforded him religious rites according to Islamic custom, three officials told Reuters. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to say if the United States had told Russia about the operation in advance. Trump, in announcing the operation, said Russia "treated us great" by opening up airspace it controlled for the raid. Peskov added: "If this information is confirmed, we can talk about a serious contribution by the president of the United States to the fight against international terrorism." French President Emmanuel Macron said Baghdadi's death was a major blow against Islamic State, but "the fight continues to finally defeat this terrorist organisation". British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: "We will work with our coalition partners to bring an end to the murderous, barbaric activities of Daesh (Islamic State) once and for all." In Southeast Asia, an important focus for Islamic State, officials said security forces were preparing for a long battle to thwart the group's ideology. The Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia, home to some of Asia's most organised Islamist militants, said they were braced for retaliation by Islamic State loyalists, including "lone-wolf" attacks by radicalised locals. The United States on Monday confirmed the killing of Abu al-Hassan al-Muhajir, Islamic State spokesman and a high-ranking figure within the jihadi group, in a separate US operation in northern Syria. Although Baghdadi's death will unsettle Islamic State, it remains capable and dangerous, said Delfin Lorenzana, defence secretary of the Philippines, where the group's influence has taken a hold in its troubled Mindanao region. "This is a blow to the organisation considering al-Baghdadi's stature as a leader. But this is just a momentary setback considering the depth and reach of the organisation worldwide," Lorenzana said. "Somebody will take his place." Islamic State has no declared successor as leader. But the group has proved resilient, continuing to mount or inspire attacks in the region and beyond despite losing most of its territory in recent years. Baghdadi had long been sought by the United States - which offered a $25 million reward - as leader of a jihadist group that at one point controlled large areas of Syria and Iraq, where it declared a caliphate. Islamic State has brutally attacked religious minorities and launched deadly strikes on five continents in a violent campaign that horrified most Muslims. In their long hunt for Baghdadi, Iraqi intelligence teams secured a break in February 2018 after one of his top aides gave them information on how he escaped capture for so many years, two Iraqi security officials said. Baghdadi held strategy talks with his commanders in moving minibuses packed with vegetables in order to avoid detection, Ismael al-Ethawi told officials after he was arrested by Turkish authorities and handed to the Iraqis. "Ethawi gave valuable information which helped the Iraqi multi-security agencies team complete the missing pieces of the puzzle of Baghdadi's movements and places he used to hide," one of the Iraqi security officials said. Iraqi security officials said Kurdish intelligence agents had exchanged information with counterparts in Baghdad on the movements of Baghdadi and his aides in Syria. One of the Kurds' sources passed on a "golden tip" earlier this year. Suspicious movements were spotted by locals at a house in a village in Syria, which was placed under surveillance and turned out to be the house used by Baghdadi, the Iraqi officials said. The raid on Baghdadi comes weeks after Trump announced the withdrawal of US troops from northeastern Syria. Critics expressed concern at the abandoning of the Kurdish fighters who were instrumental in defeating Islamic State in Syria, and said the move might allow the group to regain strength and pose a threat to US interests. The Pentagon, however, said the United States would repel any attempt to take Syria's oilfields away from US-backed Syrian militia with "overwhelming force," whether the opponent is Islamic State or even forces backed by Russia or Syria. Trump said the raid would not change his decision to withdraw troops from Syria. But killing Baghdadi could help blunt those concerns, as well as boosting Trump domestically at a time when he is facing an impeachment inquiry in the US House of Representatives. Egypt, which is fighting militants loyal to Islamic State, said the killing of Baghdadi was "an important step towards eradicating terrorism". US foe Iran, which accuses the United States and its allies of creating Islamic State, was dismissive. Information Minister Mohammad Javad Azari-Jahromi tweeted: "Not a big deal, You just killed your creature". At the height of its power, Islamic State ruled over millions of people from northern Syria to the outskirts of Baghdad. Thousands of civilians were killed by the group as it mounted what the United Nations called a genocidal campaign against Iraq's Yazidi minority. It also caused worldwide revulsion by beheading foreign nationals from countries including the United States, Britain and Japan. The group has claimed responsibility for or inspired attacks in cities including Paris, Nice, France, Orlando, Florida, Manchester, England, London and Berlin, and in Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

US wants to bolster fight against Islamic State after its leader's death

All concerned parties are looking at their respective national interests, and thus, the situation in West Asia is turning from bad to worse, says Retired Major General SB Asthana

Video Opinion: Maintaining stability in West Asia

Trump Tells The World That He Wants Syrian Oil For The U.S. The death of terrorist al-Baghdadi is a big blow for the ISIS. But the U.S. engagement in the region is not only about eliminating terrorism but also to secure its own interests.

Gravitas: U.S. Spills The Beans: Trump Wants To 'seize' Syrian Oil

Kurdish YPG forces in Syria have not fully withdrawn from the border territory as agreed in a Russia-brokered accord, and Turkey will soon discuss next steps with Moscow, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday.

Cavusoglu said a Russian military delegation was coming to Turkey to discuss joint patrols set to begin on Tuesday. He repeated that if the YPG did not withdraw some 30 kms (18 miles) from Turkey`s border, Turkish forces would clear them out.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said on Sunday it had agreed to withdraw more than 30 km (19 miles) from the Turkish border, an announcement welcomed by Damascus which said Turkey should now end its "aggression" in northeast Syria.

Turkey launched its cross-border offensive on October 9 targeting Kurdish YPG forces in northeast Syria after President Donald Trump pulled US troops out of the area.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Russia's Vladimir Putin then agreed on October 22 that Syrian border guards and Russian military police would clear the border area up to 30 km into Syria of YPG fighters over a six-day period that ends Tuesday.

The YPG is the main component of the SDF and is viewed by Ankara as terrorists due to their links to Kurdish insurgents in southeast Turkey. But the SDF has been a key ally of the United States in the fight against Islamic State militants.

&nbsp;

Kurdish YPG forces in Syria have not fully withdrawn from the border territory as agreed in a Russia-brokered accord, and Turkey will soon discuss next steps with Moscow, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday.

Kurdish YPG forces in Syria have not fully withdrawn from the border territory as agreed in a Russia-brokered accord, and Turkey will soon discuss next steps with Moscow, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday. Cavusoglu said a Russian military delegation was coming to Turkey to discuss joint patrols set to begin on Tuesday. He repeated that if the YPG did not withdraw some 30 kms (18 miles) from Turkey`s border, Turkish forces would clear them out. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said on Sunday it had agreed to withdraw more than 30 km (19 miles) from the Turkish border, an announcement welcomed by Damascus which said Turkey should now end its "aggression" in northeast Syria. Turkey launched its cross-border offensive on October 9 targeting Kurdish YPG forces in northeast Syria after President Donald Trump pulled US troops out of the area. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Russia's Vladimir Putin then agreed on October 22 that Syrian border guards and Russian military police would clear the border area up to 30 km into Syria of YPG fighters over a six-day period that ends Tuesday. The YPG is the main component of the SDF and is viewed by Ankara as terrorists due to their links to Kurdish insurgents in southeast Turkey. But the SDF has been a key ally of the United States in the fight against Islamic State militants.

Turkey says Kurdish YPG has not fully withdrawn from Syria border region

How US planned operation to kill Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi

In Syria and Iraq, the ex-prisoners and those who were victims of ISIS are doing celebrations after the death announcement of ISIS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's death. Let's listen to it by yourself.

ISIS victims rejoice at announcement of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's death

Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was believed to have been killed in a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/united-states-diplomat-unaware-of-possible-quid-pro-quo-on-ukraine-258326">United States</a>&nbsp;military operation in Syria, sources in Syria, Iraq and Iran said on Sunday, as US&nbsp;President Donald Trump prepared to make a "major statement" at the White House.

A US&nbsp;official, speaking on condition of anonymity, earlier told Reuters Baghdadi was targeted in the overnight raid but was unable to say whether the operation was successful.

A commander of one of the militant factions in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib said Baghdadi was believed to have been killed in a raid after midnight on Saturday involving helicopters, warplanes and a ground clash in the village of Brisha near the Turkish border.

Two Iraqi security sources and two Iranian officials said they had received confirmation from inside Syria that Baghdadi had been killed.

"Iran was informed about Baghdadi's death by Syrian officials who got it from the field," one of the officials said.

Newsweek, which first reported the news, said it had been told by a US&nbsp;Army official briefed on the raid that Baghdadi was dead. It said the operation was carried out by special operations forces after receiving actionable intelligence.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

White House spokesman Hogan Gidley announced late on Saturday that Trump would make a "major statement" at 1300 GMT&nbsp;on Sunday.

Gidley gave no further details as to the topic of Trump's statement.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Something very big has just happened!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1188264965930700801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 27, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

The <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/islamic-state-leader-targeted-by-united-states-forces-as-trump-plans-sunday-statement-258337">president gave an indication</a> that something was afoot earlier on Saturday night when he tweeted without explanation, "Something very big has just happened!"

Trump has faced withering criticism from both Republicans and Democrats alike for his US&nbsp;troop withdrawal from northeastern Syria, which permitted Turkey to attack America's Kurdish allies.

Many critics of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/united-states-lawmakers-hear-from-corroborating-witness-in-trump-impeachment-probe-258323">Trump</a>'s Syria pullout have expressed worries that it would lead the Islamic State militancy to regain strength and pose a threat to US&nbsp;interests. An announcement about Baghdadi's death could help blunt those concerns.

For days, US&nbsp;officials had feared that Islamic State would seek to capitalise on the upheaval in Syria. But they also saw a potential opportunity, in which Islamic State leaders might break from more secretive routines to communicate with operatives, potentially creating a chance for the United States and its allies to detect them.

Baghdadi was long thought to hiding somewhere along the Iraq-Syria border. He has led the group since 2010, when it was still an underground al Qaeda offshoot in Iraq.

On September&nbsp;16, Islamic State's media network issued a 30-minute audio message purporting to come from Baghdadi, in which he said operations were taking place daily and called on supporters to free women jailed in camps in Iraq and Syria over their alleged links to his group.

In the audio message, Baghdadi also said the United States and its proxies had been defeated in Iraq and Afghanistan, and that the United States had been "dragged" into Mali and Niger.

At the height of its power, Islamic State ruled over millions of people in territory running from northern Syria through towns and villages along the Tigris and Euphrates valleys to the outskirts of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

But the fall in 2017 of Mosul and Raqqa, its strongholds in Iraq and Syria respectively, stripped Baghdadi, an Iraqi, of the trappings of a caliph and turned him into a fugitive thought to be moving along the desert border between Iraq and Syria.

US&nbsp;airstrikes killed most of his top lieutenants, and before Islamic State published a video message of Baghdadi in April there had been conflicting reports over whether he was alive.

Despite losing its last significant territory, Islamic State is believed to have sleeper cells around the world, and some fighters operate from the shadows in Syria's desert and Iraq's cities.

Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was believed to have been killed in a United States military operation in Syria, sources in Syria, Iraq and Iran said on Sunday, as US President Donald Trump prepared to make a "major statement" at the White House.

Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was believed to have been killed in a United States military operation in Syria, sources in Syria, Iraq and Iran said on Sunday, as US President Donald Trump prepared to make a "major statement" at the White House. A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, earlier told Reuters Baghdadi was targeted in the overnight raid but was unable to say whether the operation was successful. A commander of one of the militant factions in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib said Baghdadi was believed to have been killed in a raid after midnight on Saturday involving helicopters, warplanes and a ground clash in the village of Brisha near the Turkish border. Two Iraqi security sources and two Iranian officials said they had received confirmation from inside Syria that Baghdadi had been killed. "Iran was informed about Baghdadi's death by Syrian officials who got it from the field," one of the officials said. Newsweek, which first reported the news, said it had been told by a US Army official briefed on the raid that Baghdadi was dead. It said the operation was carried out by special operations forces after receiving actionable intelligence. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment. White House spokesman Hogan Gidley announced late on Saturday that Trump would make a "major statement" at 1300 GMT on Sunday. Gidley gave no further details as to the topic of Trump's statement. Something very big has just happened! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 27, 2019 × The president gave an indication that something was afoot earlier on Saturday night when he tweeted without explanation, "Something very big has just happened!" Trump has faced withering criticism from both Republicans and Democrats alike for his US troop withdrawal from northeastern Syria, which permitted Turkey to attack America's Kurdish allies. Many critics of Trump's Syria pullout have expressed worries that it would lead the Islamic State militancy to regain strength and pose a threat to US interests. An announcement about Baghdadi's death could help blunt those concerns. For days, US officials had feared that Islamic State would seek to capitalise on the upheaval in Syria. But they also saw a potential opportunity, in which Islamic State leaders might break from more secretive routines to communicate with operatives, potentially creating a chance for the United States and its allies to detect them. Baghdadi was long thought to hiding somewhere along the Iraq-Syria border. He has led the group since 2010, when it was still an underground al Qaeda offshoot in Iraq. On September 16, Islamic State's media network issued a 30-minute audio message purporting to come from Baghdadi, in which he said operations were taking place daily and called on supporters to free women jailed in camps in Iraq and Syria over their alleged links to his group. In the audio message, Baghdadi also said the United States and its proxies had been defeated in Iraq and Afghanistan, and that the United States had been "dragged" into Mali and Niger. At the height of its power, Islamic State ruled over millions of people in territory running from northern Syria through towns and villages along the Tigris and Euphrates valleys to the outskirts of the Iraqi capital Baghdad. But the fall in 2017 of Mosul and Raqqa, its strongholds in Iraq and Syria respectively, stripped Baghdadi, an Iraqi, of the trappings of a caliph and turned him into a fugitive thought to be moving along the desert border between Iraq and Syria. US airstrikes killed most of his top lieutenants, and before Islamic State published a video message of Baghdadi in April there had been conflicting reports over whether he was alive. Despite losing its last significant territory, Islamic State is believed to have sleeper cells around the world, and some fighters operate from the shadows in Syria's desert and Iraq's cities.

Islamic State leader Baghdadi reportedly killed in Syria by United States forces

Russia's big charge at the U.S., 'U.S. troops oversaw smuggling of oil from Syria'. Watch this video to know more.

Russia's big charge at the U.S., 'U.S. troops oversaw smuggling of oil from Syria'

ISIS chief Baghdadi dead in US raid in northwest Syria said, Donald Trump.

Breaking News: Baghdadi killed in US operation in Syria

Clashes in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/erdogan-says-will-clear-terrorists-from-syria-border-if-sochi-deal-fails-258300">northeast Syria</a> between pro-Ankara fighters backed by the Turkish air force and a Damascus-backed force led by Syrian Kurds left 15 dead on Saturday, a monitor said.

Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told AFP that nine pro-Turkish fighters and six members of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were killed in a zone between the towns of Tal Tamr and Ras al-Ain.

State news agency SANA said earlier Syrian government forces had entered the provincial borders of Ras al-Ain near Turkey's border on Saturday, &nbsp;an area that was taken by Turkish forces in the latter's weeks-long offensive against Syria's Kurds.

The Observatory said the Syrian government's deployment there was its largest in years.

Syrian government troops had also deployed along a road stretching some 30 kilometres south of the frontier, SANA said.&nbsp;

Watch: What's the on-ground reality&nbsp;in Syria?

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/whats-the-reality-on-ground-in-syria-258283/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Turkey and its Syrian proxies on October 9 launched a cross-border attack against Kurdish-held areas, grabbing a 120-kilometre-long&nbsp;swathe of Syrian land along the frontier.

The incursion left hundreds dead and caused 300,000 people to flee their homes, in the latest humanitarian crisis in Syria's brutal eight-year war.

Turkey and Russia this week struck a deal in Sochi for more Kurdish forces to withdraw from the frontier on both sides of that Turkish-held area under the supervision of Russian and Syrian forces.

On Saturday, the Britain-based Observatory said some 2,000 Syrian troops and hundreds of military vehicles were deploying around what <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/amnesty-international-says-turkey-deporting-syrians-to-planned-safe-zone-region-258214">Turkey calls its "safe zone"</a>.&nbsp;

Government forces were being accompanied by Russian military police, the Observatory said.&nbsp;

Moscow has said 300 Russian military police had arrived in Syria to help ensure Kurdish forces withdraw to a line 30 kilometres (18 miles) from the border in keeping with Tuesday's agreement.

Under the Sochi deal, Kurdish forces have until late Tuesday to withdraw from border areas at either end of the Turkish-held area, before joint Turkish-Russian patrols start in a 10-kilometre strip there.

Ankara eventually wants to set up a buffer zone on Syrian soil along the entire length of its 440-kilometre-long border, including to resettle some of the 3.6 million Syrian refugees currently in Turkey.

The SDF has objected to some provisions of the Sochi agreement and it has so far maintained several border posts.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Saturday that Ankara would "clear terrorists" on its border if the Kurdish forces, which his country view as an offshoot of its own banned insurgency, did not withdraw by the deadline.

Clashes in northeast Syria between pro-Ankara fighters backed by the Turkish air force and a Damascus-backed force led by Syrian Kurds left 15 dead on Saturday, a monitor said.

Clashes in northeast Syria between pro-Ankara fighters backed by the Turkish air force and a Damascus-backed force led by Syrian Kurds left 15 dead on Saturday, a monitor said. Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told AFP that nine pro-Turkish fighters and six members of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were killed in a zone between the towns of Tal Tamr and Ras al-Ain. State news agency SANA said earlier Syrian government forces had entered the provincial borders of Ras al-Ain near Turkey's border on Saturday, an area that was taken by Turkish forces in the latter's weeks-long offensive against Syria's Kurds. The Observatory said the Syrian government's deployment there was its largest in years. Syrian government troops had also deployed along a road stretching some 30 kilometres south of the frontier, SANA said. Watch: What's the on-ground reality in Syria? Turkey and its Syrian proxies on October 9 launched a cross-border attack against Kurdish-held areas, grabbing a 120-kilometre-long swathe of Syrian land along the frontier. The incursion left hundreds dead and caused 300,000 people to flee their homes, in the latest humanitarian crisis in Syria's brutal eight-year war. Turkey and Russia this week struck a deal in Sochi for more Kurdish forces to withdraw from the frontier on both sides of that Turkish-held area under the supervision of Russian and Syrian forces. On Saturday, the Britain-based Observatory said some 2,000 Syrian troops and hundreds of military vehicles were deploying around what Turkey calls its "safe zone". Government forces were being accompanied by Russian military police, the Observatory said. Moscow has said 300 Russian military police had arrived in Syria to help ensure Kurdish forces withdraw to a line 30 kilometres (18 miles) from the border in keeping with Tuesday's agreement. Under the Sochi deal, Kurdish forces have until late Tuesday to withdraw from border areas at either end of the Turkish-held area, before joint Turkish-Russian patrols start in a 10-kilometre strip there. Ankara eventually wants to set up a buffer zone on Syrian soil along the entire length of its 440-kilometre-long border, including to resettle some of the 3.6 million Syrian refugees currently in Turkey. The SDF has objected to some provisions of the Sochi agreement and it has so far maintained several border posts. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Saturday that Ankara would "clear terrorists" on its border if the Kurdish forces, which his country view as an offshoot of its own banned insurgency, did not withdraw by the deadline.

15 dead in Syria clashes between pro-Turkish forces, Kurds: Report

Russia's big allegation against U.S servicemen.Russian Defense ministry said that U.S exported Syrian oil .

Did U.S Smuggle Syrian Oil?

Turkey is forcibly sending Syrian refugees to an area of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/military-police-have-arrived-in-syria-to-help-kurdish-forces-withdraw-russia-258163">Syria</a> near the border where it aims to set up a "safe zone" even though the conflict there has not ended, Amnesty International said in a report published on Friday.

Human Rights Watch said in a separate report Friday that authorities had arbitrarily detained and deported dozens of Syrians to northern Syria between January and September.

Turkey currently hosts some 3.6 million refugees who fled Syria's eight-year-long civil war. But, with Turkish public sentiment towards them souring, Ankara hopes to resettle up to two million in the planned safe zone in northeast Syria.

Ankara says more than 350,000 Syrian refugees have already voluntarily returned to their country.

In its report, Amnesty said refugees it had spoken to complained of being threatened or physically forced by Turkish police to sign documents stating that they were voluntarily returning to Syria.

"In reality, Turkey put the lives of Syrian refugees under serious danger by forcing them to return to a war zone," the British-based human rights group said.

Amnesty said it believed the number of forced returns in recent months to be in the hundreds, based on interviews it conducted between July and October but said it was able to confirm 20 cases.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/syrian-kurds-accuse-turkey-of-violations-russia-says-peace-plan-on-track-258059">Syrians who are deported</a> are generally told they are not registered or live outside the Turkish province in which they are registered, the report said, adding that people were also deported from provinces in which they had been registered.

Anna Shea, Amnesty's Researcher on Refugee and Migrant Rights, said Turkey deserved recognition for hosting so many Syrians over many years, "but it cannot use this generosity as an excuse to flout international and domestic law by deporting people to an active conflict zone." 
&nbsp;

Watch: Turkey-Kurds conflict: Kurdish commander supports German plan

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/turkey-kurds-conflict-kurdish-commander-supports-german-plan-258038/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

'False and imaginary'

&nbsp;

The Turkish foreign ministry said later on Friday that Turkey was fulfilling all of its responsibilities towards the refugees in accordance with international laws.

"The claims in the report about Syrians being forcibly sent back, threatened and mistreated are false and imaginary," said Hami Aksoy, the foreign ministry's spokesman.

"Our country is reiterating at every opportunity that the return of migrants needs to be done voluntarily and safely, and that this process must be carried out in line with international laws," Aksoy said in a statement.

A plan agreed between Turkey and Russia this week envisages Syrian Kurdish YPG fighters being removed from a 30 km&nbsp;strip of territory along the Turkish border and refugees being allowed to return there "in a safe and voluntary manner".

Addressing world leaders at the United Nations in September, President Tayyip Erdogan set out ambitious proposals to build dozens of new villages and towns in the planned safe zone.

Pro-government newspaper Yeni Safak said on Friday that life would "normalise" in the Syrian border towns of Tel Abyad and Ras Al Ain now that Turkey has taken control of the area.

It said Turkey would reconstruct the two towns ravaged by <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/sleeper-cells-abandoned-us-bases-russian-military-police-in-syrias-manbij-258076">years of war</a>, establish security forces and a judiciary there and work to bring economic stability to the region.

Aksoy said the international community needed to be more active in facilitating the safe return of refugees to the zone.

Turkey is forcibly sending Syrian refugees to an area of Syria near the border where it aims to set up a "safe zone" even though the conflict there has not ended, Amnesty International said in a report published on Friday.

Turkey is forcibly sending Syrian refugees to an area of Syria near the border where it aims to set up a "safe zone" even though the conflict there has not ended, Amnesty International said in a report published on Friday. Human Rights Watch said in a separate report Friday that authorities had arbitrarily detained and deported dozens of Syrians to northern Syria between January and September. Turkey currently hosts some 3.6 million refugees who fled Syria's eight-year-long civil war. But, with Turkish public sentiment towards them souring, Ankara hopes to resettle up to two million in the planned safe zone in northeast Syria. Ankara says more than 350,000 Syrian refugees have already voluntarily returned to their country. In its report, Amnesty said refugees it had spoken to complained of being threatened or physically forced by Turkish police to sign documents stating that they were voluntarily returning to Syria. "In reality, Turkey put the lives of Syrian refugees under serious danger by forcing them to return to a war zone," the British-based human rights group said. Amnesty said it believed the number of forced returns in recent months to be in the hundreds, based on interviews it conducted between July and October but said it was able to confirm 20 cases. Syrians who are deported are generally told they are not registered or live outside the Turkish province in which they are registered, the report said, adding that people were also deported from provinces in which they had been registered. Anna Shea, Amnesty's Researcher on Refugee and Migrant Rights, said Turkey deserved recognition for hosting so many Syrians over many years, "but it cannot use this generosity as an excuse to flout international and domestic law by deporting people to an active conflict zone." Watch: Turkey-Kurds conflict: Kurdish commander supports German plan 'False and imaginary' The Turkish foreign ministry said later on Friday that Turkey was fulfilling all of its responsibilities towards the refugees in accordance with international laws. "The claims in the report about Syrians being forcibly sent back, threatened and mistreated are false and imaginary," said Hami Aksoy, the foreign ministry's spokesman. "Our country is reiterating at every opportunity that the return of migrants needs to be done voluntarily and safely, and that this process must be carried out in line with international laws," Aksoy said in a statement. A plan agreed between Turkey and Russia this week envisages Syrian Kurdish YPG fighters being removed from a 30 km strip of territory along the Turkish border and refugees being allowed to return there "in a safe and voluntary manner". Addressing world leaders at the United Nations in September, President Tayyip Erdogan set out ambitious proposals to build dozens of new villages and towns in the planned safe zone. Pro-government newspaper Yeni Safak said on Friday that life would "normalise" in the Syrian border towns of Tel Abyad and Ras Al Ain now that Turkey has taken control of the area. It said Turkey would reconstruct the two towns ravaged by years of war, establish security forces and a judiciary there and work to bring economic stability to the region. Aksoy said the international community needed to be more active in facilitating the safe return of refugees to the zone.

Amnesty International says Turkey deporting Syrians to planned 'safe zone' region

Is Trump really pulling out of Syria? What's the reality on Ground in Syria? Watch the video

What's the reality on Ground in Syria?

For what is now nearly two weeks, Syrian military and Kurdish fighters have been jointly controlling Manbij, the northern city near the border with Turkey that used to host three US military bases before the hasty American troop withdrawal.

Despite permission to enter the city, our vehicle’s driver is told to stop on a roadside and wait.

Strategic city

The Syrian troops crossed into Manbij earlier in October in accordance with the agreements between Damascus and the Kurdish administration. The decision was made very timely – after Ankara launched its offensive against Kurdish militia in northern Syria and pro-Turkish militant groups moved close to the suburbs of Manbij from the north and northwest. Local civilians were all set to flee in the fear of the looming assault.

The picture, however, changed overnight after Syrian heavy military equipment was deployed to the area and national flags were flown at the frontline.

Manbij is a strategic city. Before the war hit the country in 2011, the authorities mulled the possibility of creating a new province "Reef Aleppo," with the administrative centre in Manbij.

Its population today, according to various estimates, is from 600,000 to 800,000 people, coupled with the inhabitants of nearby villages.

The checkpoint at the city’s entrance is located on the M4 highway. Turkey aims to clear the 30-kilometre (18-mile) zone up to the M4 highway, which runs from Aleppo toward the Iraqi border.

Small columns of the Syrian military pass by from time to time.

"They are going to the north, toward Kobane, to strengthen their positions on the border. The army is deploying armoured vehicles and artillery. For the first time since the [2011] events hit this part of the country, the population again sees regular troops back," a Syrian reporter told a Sputnik correspondent.

‘Patchwork' Kurdish movement

Manbij clearly illustrates how Kurdish militias are fragmented, both here and in the entire northeast of Syria. The core is represented by the Self-Defense Forces. The Arab-Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces and guerrilla groups of the People's Protection Units (YPG) and the Democratic Union Party (PYD) are also present here.

"There is no central authority uniting all the formations. They coordinate among themselves. But each militia has their own bosses," a Kurdish guide, Abdi, explained.

The rest of the Manbij population is also rather heterogeneous. A small group of residents is considered a vanguard of sleeper cells of radical groups, including the Islamic State terrorist organization (banned in Russia).

"They represent a small part of the population. But they're dangerous," Abdi pointed out.

The first impression upon arriving in Manbij is that it is an absolutely peaceful city with rather well-functioning municipal services. Its streets are cleaner than in some areas of Aleppo. Many shops are open, with "cafe" signboards also seen across the city.

Residents stare at an unknown column of vehicles, with some of them waving their hands and the others just warily peering into vehicles’ windows.

Manbij is a largely Arab city. Kurds are a minority here; their number has, however, increased with the arrival of refugees from the area of the Turkish military operation. A third of the population supports the Kurdish self-rule and feels rather comfortable.

"The thing is that these are the people who are afraid that they will be enlisted in the army, who once broke the law and fled here from the authorities or for other reasons. It is noteworthy that for years people were told that the authorities would come and start arresting and robbing everyone. The military came, so did patrols of the Russian military police, and people are now breathing a sigh of relief because they have realized that with the arrival of the authorities and army, it is getting only better," Abdi noted.

US presence

The United States used to have three military bases in Manbij, retaining military presence here for a few years. Two bases were stationed on the M4 highway, while another one was in the settlement of Dadat, located to the west of the city.

"With their presence, people felt neither good nor bad. They were arrogant. They didn't communicate with anyone and didn't help in any way. Last year, when they were still here, terrorist sleeper cells felt calmer. Their [US] soldiers were blown up by a suicide attacker in a restaurant last year when contrary to our [Kurdish] recommendations, they decided to eat out in the city," Abdi said, pointing to the street where the building is located.

Leaving Manbij toward the Euphrates, one can see a neat military cemetery, where soldiers who had been killed while liberating the city from IS terrorists, were buried.

"It's like a reminder to the Kurds about the price they have had to pay for freedom," Abdi explained.

Russia's security guarantees

At the talks in Sochi, presidents Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan struck a memorandum on the northeast of Syria. Now, the Russian military police are patrolling Manbij, Kobane and the border area.

"You should have seen how people reacted to the appearance of a Russian military police column in Manbij. Still, the majority respects and welcomes the Russians and the Syrian army. People gathered in a large crowd, waving hands and shouting slogans in support of the army and the Russians. That is very telling. They sent each other videos from their phones to prove that what has happened was not a fiction," the Kurdish guide said.

The same picture was in place when the Russian military police entered Kobane.

Shelling from the Turkish side did not resume on Wednesday. The people who fled to Manbij have started returning to their villages.

In the coming days, the number of patrols and the presence of Syrian border guards will increase in the area. Perhaps, a few years later, the Syrian authorities will return to the idea of creating a new province with the centre in Manbij.

For what is now nearly two weeks, Syrian military and Kurdish fighters have been jointly controlling Manbij, the northern city near the border with Turkey that used to host three US military bases before the hasty American troop withdrawal.

For what is now nearly two weeks, Syrian military and Kurdish fighters have been jointly controlling Manbij, the northern city near the border with Turkey that used to host three US military bases before the hasty American troop withdrawal. Despite permission to enter the city, our vehicle’s driver is told to stop on a roadside and wait. Strategic city The Syrian troops crossed into Manbij earlier in October in accordance with the agreements between Damascus and the Kurdish administration. The decision was made very timely – after Ankara launched its offensive against Kurdish militia in northern Syria and pro-Turkish militant groups moved close to the suburbs of Manbij from the north and northwest. Local civilians were all set to flee in the fear of the looming assault. The picture, however, changed overnight after Syrian heavy military equipment was deployed to the area and national flags were flown at the frontline. Manbij is a strategic city. Before the war hit the country in 2011, the authorities mulled the possibility of creating a new province "Reef Aleppo," with the administrative centre in Manbij. Its population today, according to various estimates, is from 600,000 to 800,000 people, coupled with the inhabitants of nearby villages. The checkpoint at the city’s entrance is located on the M4 highway. Turkey aims to clear the 30-kilometre (18-mile) zone up to the M4 highway, which runs from Aleppo toward the Iraqi border. Small columns of the Syrian military pass by from time to time. "They are going to the north, toward Kobane, to strengthen their positions on the border. The army is deploying armoured vehicles and artillery. For the first time since the [2011] events hit this part of the country, the population again sees regular troops back," a Syrian reporter told a Sputnik correspondent. ‘Patchwork' Kurdish movement Manbij clearly illustrates how Kurdish militias are fragmented, both here and in the entire northeast of Syria. The core is represented by the Self-Defense Forces. The Arab-Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces and guerrilla groups of the People's Protection Units (YPG) and the Democratic Union Party (PYD) are also present here. "There is no central authority uniting all the formations. They coordinate among themselves. But each militia has their own bosses," a Kurdish guide, Abdi, explained. The rest of the Manbij population is also rather heterogeneous. A small group of residents is considered a vanguard of sleeper cells of radical groups, including the Islamic State terrorist organization (banned in Russia). "They represent a small part of the population. But they're dangerous," Abdi pointed out. The first impression upon arriving in Manbij is that it is an absolutely peaceful city with rather well-functioning municipal services. Its streets are cleaner than in some areas of Aleppo. Many shops are open, with "cafe" signboards also seen across the city. Residents stare at an unknown column of vehicles, with some of them waving their hands and the others just warily peering into vehicles’ windows. Manbij is a largely Arab city. Kurds are a minority here; their number has, however, increased with the arrival of refugees from the area of the Turkish military operation. A third of the population supports the Kurdish self-rule and feels rather comfortable. "The thing is that these are the people who are afraid that they will be enlisted in the army, who once broke the law and fled here from the authorities or for other reasons. It is noteworthy that for years people were told that the authorities would come and start arresting and robbing everyone. The military came, so did patrols of the Russian military police, and people are now breathing a sigh of relief because they have realized that with the arrival of the authorities and army, it is getting only better," Abdi noted. US presence The United States used to have three military bases in Manbij, retaining military presence here for a few years. Two bases were stationed on the M4 highway, while another one was in the settlement of Dadat, located to the west of the city. "With their presence, people felt neither good nor bad. They were arrogant. They didn't communicate with anyone and didn't help in any way. Last year, when they were still here, terrorist sleeper cells felt calmer. Their [US] soldiers were blown up by a suicide attacker in a restaurant last year when contrary to our [Kurdish] recommendations, they decided to eat out in the city," Abdi said, pointing to the street where the building is located. Leaving Manbij toward the Euphrates, one can see a neat military cemetery, where soldiers who had been killed while liberating the city from IS terrorists, were buried. "It's like a reminder to the Kurds about the price they have had to pay for freedom," Abdi explained. Russia's security guarantees At the talks in Sochi, presidents Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan struck a memorandum on the northeast of Syria. Now, the Russian military police are patrolling Manbij, Kobane and the border area. "You should have seen how people reacted to the appearance of a Russian military police column in Manbij. Still, the majority respects and welcomes the Russians and the Syrian army. People gathered in a large crowd, waving hands and shouting slogans in support of the army and the Russians. That is very telling. They sent each other videos from their phones to prove that what has happened was not a fiction," the Kurdish guide said. The same picture was in place when the Russian military police entered Kobane. Shelling from the Turkish side did not resume on Wednesday. The people who fled to Manbij have started returning to their villages. In the coming days, the number of patrols and the presence of Syrian border guards will increase in the area. Perhaps, a few years later, the Syrian authorities will return to the idea of creating a new province with the centre in Manbij.

Sleeper cells, abandoned US bases, Russian military police in Syria's Manbij

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/kurds-welcome-german-plan-for-international-force-in-syria-258015">The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces</a> (SDF) accused <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/erdogan-warns-syria-offensive-will-resume-unless-kurds-complete-pull-out-257497">Turkey</a> on Thursday of launching a large land offensive targeting three villages in northeast Syria despite a truce, but Russia said a peace plan hammered out this week was going ahead smoothly.

Under the plan, agreed by Presidents <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/turkey-heading-in-wrong-direction-with-syria-incursion-us-defence-secretary-mark-esper-257941">Tayyip Erdogan</a> and Vladimir Putin, Syrian Kurdish forces are to withdraw more than 30 km (19 miles) from the Turkish border, a goal Russia's RIA news agency, quoting an SDF official, said was already achieved.

Russia said it was sending more military police and heavy equipment to help implement the deal, which has already prompted US&nbsp;President Donald Trump to lift sanctions against Turkey and drawn lavish praise for Erdogan in the Turkish media.

Ankara views the Kurdish YPG militia, the main component in the SDF, as terrorists linked to Kurdish insurgents in southeast Turkey. It launched a cross-border offensive against them on October 9 after Trump ordered US&nbsp;forces out of northeast Syria.

The deal agreed with Putin, which builds on and widens a previous US-brokered ceasefire, helped end the fighting.

But the SDF said in its statement on Thursday that Turkish forces had attacked three villages "outside the area of the ceasefire process," forcing thousands of civilians to flee.

"Despite our forces' commitment to the ceasefire decision and the withdrawal of our forces from the entire ceasefire area, the Turkish state and the terrorist factions allied to it are still violating the ceasefire process," it said.

"Our forces are still clashing," it said, urging the United States to intervene to halt the renewed fighting.

Turkey's Defence Ministry did not comment directly on the SDF report but said five of its military personnel had been wounded in an attack by the YPG militia around the border town of Ras al Ain, near where the three villages are located.

Turkey previously said it reserved the right to self-defence against any militants who remain in the area despite the truce, a pledge repeated by Erdogan on Thursday.

A US&nbsp;defence official said on Thursday that Washington was committed to reinforcing its military position in Syria "with additional military assets" - one of the clearest signs yet that it had not just ended plans for a full withdrawal from Syria but may add capabilities to strengthen American forces remaining in the country.

The UN&nbsp;special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, told Reuters the ceasefire seemed to be holding "by and large" as major powers gather in Geneva ahead of the first meeting of Syria's Constitutional Committee next week.

Erdogan also said Turkey had agreed with Russia to maintain an "observation post" on the northwestern part of Syria's Manbij.

'Everything is being implemented'

Russia, a close ally of President Bashar al-Assad that has emerged as the key geopolitical player in Syria, has begun deploying military police near the Turkish border as part of the deal agreed on Tuesday in the Russian city of Sochi.

"Everything is being implemented," Interfax news agency quoted Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin as saying.

RIA, citing an SDF official, said the Kurdish fighters had already withdrawn to 32 km (20 miles) away from the border. It also said the Kurds were ready to discuss joining the Syrian army once the crisis in Syria had been settled politically.

Russia will send a further 276 military police officers and 33 units of military hardware to Syria in a week, RIA news agency cited a Defence Ministry source as saying. It also quoted Russia's Defence Ministry as saying Russian military police had patrolled along a new 60-km (37-mile) route on the border.

Next Tuesday, under the terms of the Sochi deal, Russian and Turkish forces will start to patrol a 10-km (6-mile) strip of land in northeast Syria where US&nbsp;troops had been deployed for years along with their former Kurdish allies.

The arrival of the Russian police marks a shift in the regional balance of power just two weeks after Trump began pulling out US&nbsp;forces, a move criticised in Washington and elsewhere as a betrayal of the Americans' former Kurdish allies.

Turkey's military operation was also widely condemned by its NATO allies, which said it was causing a fresh humanitarian crisis in Syria's eight-year conflict and could let Islamic State prisoners held by the YPG escape and regroup.

At a monthly UN&nbsp;Security Council meeting on Syria on Thursday, Syria's UN&nbsp;ambassador, Bashar Ja'afari, slammed Turkey's military action and "vehemently rejects attempts by the Turkish regime to justify its actions under the pretext of self-defence or countering terrorism."

The Russian deployments have also highlighted growing ties between Russia and NATO member Turkey.

US&nbsp;Defense Secretary Mark Esper, speaking in Brussels on Thursday ahead of a NATO meeting, said Turkey - which annoyed Washington this year by buying Russian-made S400 missile defence systems - was moving in the wrong direction.

"We see them spinning closer to Russia's orbit than in the Western orbit and I think that is unfortunate," Esper said.

'Super-power of peace'

Despite Trump's lifting of sanctions on Turkey, distrust persists between Ankara and Washington, and a top Erdogan aide on Thursday criticised US&nbsp;politicians for treating SDF commander Mazloum Kobani as a "legitimate political figure."

The aide, Fahrettin Altun, told Reuters that Mazloum was a senior leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged a decades-long insurgency in southeast Turkey and which Ankara's Western allies also deem a terrorist group.

Republican and Democratic US&nbsp;senators urged the State Department on Wednesday to quickly give Mazloum a US&nbsp;visa so he can visit to discuss the situation.

Erdogan said, however, he had told his justice minister to draw up papers demanding Mazloum's extradition.

The Turkish public has shown strong support for the military operation, encouraged by an overwhelmingly pro-government media.

"The super-power of peace, Turkey," said the main headline in Thursday's edition of the pro-government Sabah newspaper.

The incursion has deepened a sense of alienation, however, among Turkey's Kurds, which is also being fuelled by a crackdown on the country's main pro-Kurdish party.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) accused Turkey on Thursday of launching a large land offensive targeting three villages in northeast Syria despite a truce, but Russia said a peace plan hammered out this week was going ahead smoothly.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) accused Turkey on Thursday of launching a large land offensive targeting three villages in northeast Syria despite a truce, but Russia said a peace plan hammered out this week was going ahead smoothly. Under the plan, agreed by Presidents Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin, Syrian Kurdish forces are to withdraw more than 30 km (19 miles) from the Turkish border, a goal Russia's RIA news agency, quoting an SDF official, said was already achieved. Russia said it was sending more military police and heavy equipment to help implement the deal, which has already prompted US President Donald Trump to lift sanctions against Turkey and drawn lavish praise for Erdogan in the Turkish media. Ankara views the Kurdish YPG militia, the main component in the SDF, as terrorists linked to Kurdish insurgents in southeast Turkey. It launched a cross-border offensive against them on October 9 after Trump ordered US forces out of northeast Syria. The deal agreed with Putin, which builds on and widens a previous US-brokered ceasefire, helped end the fighting. But the SDF said in its statement on Thursday that Turkish forces had attacked three villages "outside the area of the ceasefire process," forcing thousands of civilians to flee. "Despite our forces' commitment to the ceasefire decision and the withdrawal of our forces from the entire ceasefire area, the Turkish state and the terrorist factions allied to it are still violating the ceasefire process," it said. "Our forces are still clashing," it said, urging the United States to intervene to halt the renewed fighting. Turkey's Defence Ministry did not comment directly on the SDF report but said five of its military personnel had been wounded in an attack by the YPG militia around the border town of Ras al Ain, near where the three villages are located. Turkey previously said it reserved the right to self-defence against any militants who remain in the area despite the truce, a pledge repeated by Erdogan on Thursday. A US defence official said on Thursday that Washington was committed to reinforcing its military position in Syria "with additional military assets" - one of the clearest signs yet that it had not just ended plans for a full withdrawal from Syria but may add capabilities to strengthen American forces remaining in the country. The UN special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, told Reuters the ceasefire seemed to be holding "by and large" as major powers gather in Geneva ahead of the first meeting of Syria's Constitutional Committee next week. Erdogan also said Turkey had agreed with Russia to maintain an "observation post" on the northwestern part of Syria's Manbij. 'Everything is being implemented' Russia, a close ally of President Bashar al-Assad that has emerged as the key geopolitical player in Syria, has begun deploying military police near the Turkish border as part of the deal agreed on Tuesday in the Russian city of Sochi. "Everything is being implemented," Interfax news agency quoted Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin as saying. RIA, citing an SDF official, said the Kurdish fighters had already withdrawn to 32 km (20 miles) away from the border. It also said the Kurds were ready to discuss joining the Syrian army once the crisis in Syria had been settled politically. Russia will send a further 276 military police officers and 33 units of military hardware to Syria in a week, RIA news agency cited a Defence Ministry source as saying. It also quoted Russia's Defence Ministry as saying Russian military police had patrolled along a new 60-km (37-mile) route on the border. Next Tuesday, under the terms of the Sochi deal, Russian and Turkish forces will start to patrol a 10-km (6-mile) strip of land in northeast Syria where US troops had been deployed for years along with their former Kurdish allies. The arrival of the Russian police marks a shift in the regional balance of power just two weeks after Trump began pulling out US forces, a move criticised in Washington and elsewhere as a betrayal of the Americans' former Kurdish allies. Turkey's military operation was also widely condemned by its NATO allies, which said it was causing a fresh humanitarian crisis in Syria's eight-year conflict and could let Islamic State prisoners held by the YPG escape and regroup. At a monthly UN Security Council meeting on Syria on Thursday, Syria's UN ambassador, Bashar Ja'afari, slammed Turkey's military action and "vehemently rejects attempts by the Turkish regime to justify its actions under the pretext of self-defence or countering terrorism." The Russian deployments have also highlighted growing ties between Russia and NATO member Turkey. US Defense Secretary Mark Esper, speaking in Brussels on Thursday ahead of a NATO meeting, said Turkey - which annoyed Washington this year by buying Russian-made S400 missile defence systems - was moving in the wrong direction. "We see them spinning closer to Russia's orbit than in the Western orbit and I think that is unfortunate," Esper said. 'Super-power of peace' Despite Trump's lifting of sanctions on Turkey, distrust persists between Ankara and Washington, and a top Erdogan aide on Thursday criticised US politicians for treating SDF commander Mazloum Kobani as a "legitimate political figure." The aide, Fahrettin Altun, told Reuters that Mazloum was a senior leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged a decades-long insurgency in southeast Turkey and which Ankara's Western allies also deem a terrorist group. Republican and Democratic US senators urged the State Department on Wednesday to quickly give Mazloum a US visa so he can visit to discuss the situation. Erdogan said, however, he had told his justice minister to draw up papers demanding Mazloum's extradition. The Turkish public has shown strong support for the military operation, encouraged by an overwhelmingly pro-government media. "The super-power of peace, Turkey," said the main headline in Thursday's edition of the pro-government Sabah newspaper. The incursion has deepened a sense of alienation, however, among Turkey's Kurds, which is also being fuelled by a crackdown on the country's main pro-Kurdish party.

Syrian Kurds accuse Turkey of violations, Russia says peace plan on track

Kurdish commander supports German plan. Turkey & Syria even clashed at the UNSC meeting. Watch this video to know more.

Turkey-Kurds conflict: Kurdish commander supports German plan

By Greg Barton

“Remaining and expanding”. The propaganda tagline of Islamic State (IS) has rung hollow since the collapse of the physical caliphate. But recent developments in northeastern Syria threaten to give it fresh legitimacy.

US President Donald Trump lifted sanctions on Turkey after he announced the Turkish government agreed to a permanent ceasefire in northern Syria.

In a televised speech, he pushed back against criticisms of his decision to remove 1,000 troops from Syria, abandoning their Kurdish allies.

This decision allowed Turkish forces – a hybrid of Turkish military and Free Syrian Army rebels, including jihadi extremists – to surge across the Turkish border and begin intense bombardment of towns and cities liberated from IS.

Just how quickly and how far IS will rise from now remains unclear. One thing that’s certain, however, is that IS and the al-Qaeda movement that spawned it, plan and act for the long-term. They believe in their divine destiny and are prepared to sacrifice anything to achieve it.

In speaking about the resurgence of IS, we risk talking up the IS brand, the very thing it cares so very much about. But the greater risk is underestimating the capacity for reinvention, resilience and enduring appeal of IS.

And complacency and short-sighted politics threaten to lead us to repeat the mistakes of a decade ago that saw a decimated Islamic State in Iraq (ISI) insurgency roar back to life.

From violent beginnings

In 2006, Sunni tribes in northwestern Iraq killed or arrested the majority of ISI fighters with US support, reducing their strength from many thousands to a few hundred.

But with no backing for the Sunni tribes from the poorly functioning, Shia-dominated government in Baghdad, the outbreak of civil war in Syria, and the draw-down of US troops, ISI launched an insurgency in Syria before rising triumphant as Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

ISIS quickly became the most potent terrorist group in history, drawing more than 40,000 fighters from around the world, and seizing control of northeastern Syria and northwestern Iraq.

The final defeat of the IS caliphate in northeastern Syria came after five hard years of fighting and 11,000 lives from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), largely composed of members of the Kurdish YPG.

To the US, the SDF fighters were local partners and boots-on-the-ground after multiple false starts and expensive mistakes from allying with rebel groups in the Free Syrian Army. Without this SDF alliance, the IS caliphate could not be toppled.

Trump’s betrayal could open up ISIS recruitment

Donald Trump’s betrayal of the SDF in recent weeks is disastrous on several levels. It ignores the threat IS represents and validates ISIS’s central narrative.

What’s more, it contributes to the very circumstances of neglect, cynical short-term thinking and governance failures that lead to giving the IS insurgency an open pathway for recruiting.

Trump’s reckless move to withdraw 1,000 special forces troops from Syria comes from an impatience to end an 18-year long “Global War on Terrorism” military campaign of unprecedented expense.

This is somewhat understandable. After almost $6 trillion of US Federal expenditure and two decades of fighting, surely enough is enough.

But the inconvenient truth is IS and al-Qaeda jihadi fighters around the world have increased, in some estimates nearly four-fold, since September 11.

Still, betraying the SDF and pulling out of Syria for small short-term savings risks jeopardising all that has been achieved in defeating the IS caliphate in northwestern Iraq.

IS hardliners in overcrowded camps

IS will never return to its days of power as a physical caliphate, but all the evidence points to it tipping past an inflection point and beginning a long, steady resurgence.

IS has thousands of terrorist fighters still active in the field in northern Iraq. They’re attacking by night and rebuilding strength from disgruntled Sunni communities, as well as having thousands of fighters lying low in Syria.

But in recent months, the tempo of IS attacks has shifted from Iraq to Syria with the previously hidden insurgency reemerging.

As many as 12,000 terrorist fighters, including 2,000 foreigners, are detained in prisons run, at least until this week, by the SDF. Many are located in the border region now being overrun by the Turkish military and the Syrian jihadi it counts as loyal instruments.

Elsewhere, in poorly secured overcrowded camps for internally displaced peoples (IDPs), tens of thousands of women, many fiercely loyal to IS, and children are held in precarious circumstances.

In the Al Hawl camp alone there are more than 60,000 women and children linked to IS, including 11 Australian women and their 44 children, along with 10,000 IDPs.

The IS hardliners not only enforce a reign of terror within the camps, but are in regular communication with IS insurgents. They confidently await their liberation by the IS insurgent forces.

Liberated ISIS fighters

The hope of being freed is neither naive nor remote. Already, hundreds of fighters and IDPs have escaped the prisons and camps since the Turkish offensive began.

From mid-2012 until mid-2013, IS ran an insurgent campaign called “Breaking the Walls”. It saw thousands of hardened senior ISIS leaders, and many other militants who would later join the movement, broken out of half a dozen prisons surrounding Baghdad.

Suicide squads were used to blast holes in prison walls. Heavily armed assault teams moved rapidly through the prisons, blasting open cells and rushing the hundreds of liberated terrorist fighters into tactical four-wheel-drives. They were to be driven away in the desert through the night to rebuild the senior ranks of ISIS.

The liberated fighters were not only more valuable to ISIS after their time in prison, with many switching allegiances to join the movement, they were better educated and more deeply radicalised graduating for what they refer to as their terrorist universities.

It would appear the same cycle is now being repeated in northeastern Syria.

(Greg Barton is Chair in Global Islamic Politics, Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University)

(This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/us-retreat-from-syria-could-see-islamic-state-roar-back-to-life-125311">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL) &nbsp; 
&nbsp;

By Greg Barton “Remaining and expanding”. The propaganda tagline of Islamic State (IS) has rung hollow since the collapse of the physical caliphate. But recent developments in northeastern Syria threaten to give it fresh legitimacy.

By Greg Barton “Remaining and expanding”. The propaganda tagline of Islamic State (IS) has rung hollow since the collapse of the physical caliphate. But recent developments in northeastern Syria threaten to give it fresh legitimacy. US President Donald Trump lifted sanctions on Turkey after he announced the Turkish government agreed to a permanent ceasefire in northern Syria. In a televised speech, he pushed back against criticisms of his decision to remove 1,000 troops from Syria, abandoning their Kurdish allies. This decision allowed Turkish forces – a hybrid of Turkish military and Free Syrian Army rebels, including jihadi extremists – to surge across the Turkish border and begin intense bombardment of towns and cities liberated from IS. Just how quickly and how far IS will rise from now remains unclear. One thing that’s certain, however, is that IS and the al-Qaeda movement that spawned it, plan and act for the long-term. They believe in their divine destiny and are prepared to sacrifice anything to achieve it. In speaking about the resurgence of IS, we risk talking up the IS brand, the very thing it cares so very much about. But the greater risk is underestimating the capacity for reinvention, resilience and enduring appeal of IS. And complacency and short-sighted politics threaten to lead us to repeat the mistakes of a decade ago that saw a decimated Islamic State in Iraq (ISI) insurgency roar back to life. From violent beginnings In 2006, Sunni tribes in northwestern Iraq killed or arrested the majority of ISI fighters with US support, reducing their strength from many thousands to a few hundred. But with no backing for the Sunni tribes from the poorly functioning, Shia-dominated government in Baghdad, the outbreak of civil war in Syria, and the draw-down of US troops, ISI launched an insurgency in Syria before rising triumphant as Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). ISIS quickly became the most potent terrorist group in history, drawing more than 40,000 fighters from around the world, and seizing control of northeastern Syria and northwestern Iraq. The final defeat of the IS caliphate in northeastern Syria came after five hard years of fighting and 11,000 lives from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), largely composed of members of the Kurdish YPG. To the US, the SDF fighters were local partners and boots-on-the-ground after multiple false starts and expensive mistakes from allying with rebel groups in the Free Syrian Army. Without this SDF alliance, the IS caliphate could not be toppled. Trump’s betrayal could open up ISIS recruitment Donald Trump’s betrayal of the SDF in recent weeks is disastrous on several levels. It ignores the threat IS represents and validates ISIS’s central narrative. What’s more, it contributes to the very circumstances of neglect, cynical short-term thinking and governance failures that lead to giving the IS insurgency an open pathway for recruiting. Trump’s reckless move to withdraw 1,000 special forces troops from Syria comes from an impatience to end an 18-year long “Global War on Terrorism” military campaign of unprecedented expense. This is somewhat understandable. After almost $6 trillion of US Federal expenditure and two decades of fighting, surely enough is enough. But the inconvenient truth is IS and al-Qaeda jihadi fighters around the world have increased, in some estimates nearly four-fold, since September 11. Still, betraying the SDF and pulling out of Syria for small short-term savings risks jeopardising all that has been achieved in defeating the IS caliphate in northwestern Iraq. IS hardliners in overcrowded camps IS will never return to its days of power as a physical caliphate, but all the evidence points to it tipping past an inflection point and beginning a long, steady resurgence. IS has thousands of terrorist fighters still active in the field in northern Iraq. They’re attacking by night and rebuilding strength from disgruntled Sunni communities, as well as having thousands of fighters lying low in Syria. But in recent months, the tempo of IS attacks has shifted from Iraq to Syria with the previously hidden insurgency reemerging. As many as 12,000 terrorist fighters, including 2,000 foreigners, are detained in prisons run, at least until this week, by the SDF. Many are located in the border region now being overrun by the Turkish military and the Syrian jihadi it counts as loyal instruments. Elsewhere, in poorly secured overcrowded camps for internally displaced peoples (IDPs), tens of thousands of women, many fiercely loyal to IS, and children are held in precarious circumstances. In the Al Hawl camp alone there are more than 60,000 women and children linked to IS, including 11 Australian women and their 44 children, along with 10,000 IDPs. The IS hardliners not only enforce a reign of terror within the camps, but are in regular communication with IS insurgents. They confidently await their liberation by the IS insurgent forces. Liberated ISIS fighters The hope of being freed is neither naive nor remote. Already, hundreds of fighters and IDPs have escaped the prisons and camps since the Turkish offensive began. From mid-2012 until mid-2013, IS ran an insurgent campaign called “Breaking the Walls”. It saw thousands of hardened senior ISIS leaders, and many other militants who would later join the movement, broken out of half a dozen prisons surrounding Baghdad. Suicide squads were used to blast holes in prison walls. Heavily armed assault teams moved rapidly through the prisons, blasting open cells and rushing the hundreds of liberated terrorist fighters into tactical four-wheel-drives. They were to be driven away in the desert through the night to rebuild the senior ranks of ISIS. The liberated fighters were not only more valuable to ISIS after their time in prison, with many switching allegiances to join the movement, they were better educated and more deeply radicalised graduating for what they refer to as their terrorist universities. It would appear the same cycle is now being repeated in northeastern Syria. (Greg Barton is Chair in Global Islamic Politics, Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University) (This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

US retreat from Syria could see Islamic State roar back to life

Kurdish Women's Protection Unit: YPJ, the fierce all-women force which fought to eliminate Islamic State

Recep Tayyip Erdogan has launched legal proceedings against a French magazine which branded Turkey's president "The Eradicator" after he sent <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/turkey-pushes-offensive-in-syria-despite-sanctions-and-calls-to-stop-256184">troops into Syria</a> to push back Kurdish forces, media reported Friday.

The complaint was filed against Le Point director Etienne Gernelle and the head of the magazine's international service Romain Gubert, the official Anadolu news agency reported.

On this week's cover, Le Point published a picture of Erdogan giving a military salute with the subtitle "Ethnic cleansing: the Erdogan method", provoking sharp criticism from Turkish government officials.

The cover's headline called Erdogan "The Eradicator" and asked: "Will he be allowed to massacre the Kurds,&nbsp;and threaten Europe?"

In a petition presented to the Ankara prosecutor's office, Erdogan's lawyer Huseyin Aydin said the cover was "publicly insulting" to the president, a crime in Turkey.

"It is a typical example of stupidity from a country whose history is full of dramatic examples of genocide and massacres to attempt to teach something to Mr President... and level baseless accusations," the lawyer said, quoted by Anadolu.

A source in the Ankara public prosecutor's office told AFP that an investigation had been launched after the complaint.

Erdogan's spokesman Ibrahim Kalin took to Twitter on Thursday, writing in French: "The Kurds are not your agents and will never be. Your days of colonisation are over."

The Turkish army launched a military offensive on October 9 against Kurdish militants in Syria, sparking widespread condemnation from the West -- including France, which saw Kurdish forces as an effective tool in the fight against Islamic State jihadists.

French President Emmanuel Macron this month called for an end to Turkey's offensive which he said risked creating "unbearable humanitarian conditions" while helping IS jihadists "re-emerge in the region".

On Thursday, Erdogan, without referring explicitly to Le Point, lashed out at France for criticising the Turkish military action.

"First look in the mirror, look at yourself at where you are. There is no such thing in our history," he said, referring to France's colonial past.

Last year Le Point said it had suffered harassment and intimidation by Erdogan's supporters after labelling him "The Dictator" on the front cover.

A poster of the cover was targeted at a newspaper kiosk in the town of Valence.

Macron had then rallied behind the magazine calling the harassment "totally unacceptable".

"You cannot put a price on freedom of the press, without it, it's a dictatorship," he tweeted.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan has launched legal proceedings against a French magazine which branded Turkey's president "The Eradicator" after he sent troops into Syria to push back Kurdish forces, media reported Friday.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan has launched legal proceedings against a French magazine which branded Turkey's president "The Eradicator" after he sent troops into Syria to push back Kurdish forces, media reported Friday. The complaint was filed against Le Point director Etienne Gernelle and the head of the magazine's international service Romain Gubert, the official Anadolu news agency reported. On this week's cover, Le Point published a picture of Erdogan giving a military salute with the subtitle "Ethnic cleansing: the Erdogan method", provoking sharp criticism from Turkish government officials. The cover's headline called Erdogan "The Eradicator" and asked: "Will he be allowed to massacre the Kurds, and threaten Europe?" In a petition presented to the Ankara prosecutor's office, Erdogan's lawyer Huseyin Aydin said the cover was "publicly insulting" to the president, a crime in Turkey. "It is a typical example of stupidity from a country whose history is full of dramatic examples of genocide and massacres to attempt to teach something to Mr President... and level baseless accusations," the lawyer said, quoted by Anadolu. A source in the Ankara public prosecutor's office told AFP that an investigation had been launched after the complaint. Erdogan's spokesman Ibrahim Kalin took to Twitter on Thursday, writing in French: "The Kurds are not your agents and will never be. Your days of colonisation are over." The Turkish army launched a military offensive on October 9 against Kurdish militants in Syria, sparking widespread condemnation from the West -- including France, which saw Kurdish forces as an effective tool in the fight against Islamic State jihadists. French President Emmanuel Macron this month called for an end to Turkey's offensive which he said risked creating "unbearable humanitarian conditions" while helping IS jihadists "re-emerge in the region". On Thursday, Erdogan, without referring explicitly to Le Point, lashed out at France for criticising the Turkish military action. "First look in the mirror, look at yourself at where you are. There is no such thing in our history," he said, referring to France's colonial past. Last year Le Point said it had suffered harassment and intimidation by Erdogan's supporters after labelling him "The Dictator" on the front cover. A poster of the cover was targeted at a newspaper kiosk in the town of Valence. Macron had then rallied behind the magazine calling the harassment "totally unacceptable". "You cannot put a price on freedom of the press, without it, it's a dictatorship," he tweeted.

Turkey's Erdogan sues French magazine over 'eradicator' cover

Turkey on Friday warned Washington that any meeting with the leader of a US-backed Syrian Kurdish-led force risked "legitimising terrorists".

US President Donald Trump on Thursday said he had talked with <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-lifts-turkey-sanctions-quits-blood-stained-syria-257796">Mazlum Abdi</a>, commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) which fought against extremists in Syria, and that he had "really enjoyed" the conversation.

In a tweet on Wednesday, Trump thanked Mazlum and said: "I look forward to seeing you soon", raising fears in Turkey of a possible face-to-face meeting between the two men in the United States..

"If you start legitimising terrorists like this, tomorrow you will end up meeting with Baghdadi as well," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in televised remarks.

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is the head of the Islamic State extremist group.

"It is not acceptable for our allies to meet with a terrorist wanted under a red notice," Cavusoglu told reporters in Baku.

"We have informed the US of all of this in a written note," the minister added.

Turkey says there is an Interpol red notice for Abdi, which Turkish NTV broadcaster reported had been issued in 2011.

A group of American senators including Lindsey Graham earlier this week urged the US State Department to expedite a visa for Abdi to enable a visit where he can speak to officials and lawmakers on the situation on the ground in Syria.

Turkish Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul earlier on Friday said if Abdi entered the US, "because there is a red bulletin, because there is an arrest warrant..., this person should be caught, arrested and extradited to Turkey."

Gul told reporters in the Turkish border town of Akcakale that Turkish diplomats had contacted their US counterparts to remind them that Abdi was a wanted individual.

Relations between Turkey and the US are particularly tense after Ankara launched a cross-border offensive on October 9 against the Kurdish YPG militia, whose fighters make up the bulk of the SDF.

But there have also been strains over Washington's failure to extradite Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen, accused by Ankara of ordering the 2016 failed coup. which Gulen has denied.

Turkey on Friday warned Washington that any meeting with the leader of a US-backed Syrian Kurdish-led force risked "legitimising terrorists". US President Donald Trump on Thursday said he had talked with Mazlum Abdi, commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) which fought against extremists in Syria, and that he had "really enjoyed" the conversation.

Turkey on Friday warned Washington that any meeting with the leader of a US-backed Syrian Kurdish-led force risked "legitimising terrorists". US President Donald Trump on Thursday said he had talked with Mazlum Abdi, commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) which fought against extremists in Syria, and that he had "really enjoyed" the conversation. In a tweet on Wednesday, Trump thanked Mazlum and said: "I look forward to seeing you soon", raising fears in Turkey of a possible face-to-face meeting between the two men in the United States.. "If you start legitimising terrorists like this, tomorrow you will end up meeting with Baghdadi as well," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in televised remarks. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is the head of the Islamic State extremist group. "It is not acceptable for our allies to meet with a terrorist wanted under a red notice," Cavusoglu told reporters in Baku. "We have informed the US of all of this in a written note," the minister added. Turkey says there is an Interpol red notice for Abdi, which Turkish NTV broadcaster reported had been issued in 2011. A group of American senators including Lindsey Graham earlier this week urged the US State Department to expedite a visa for Abdi to enable a visit where he can speak to officials and lawmakers on the situation on the ground in Syria. Turkish Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul earlier on Friday said if Abdi entered the US, "because there is a red bulletin, because there is an arrest warrant..., this person should be caught, arrested and extradited to Turkey." Gul told reporters in the Turkish border town of Akcakale that Turkish diplomats had contacted their US counterparts to remind them that Abdi was a wanted individual. Relations between Turkey and the US are particularly tense after Ankara launched a cross-border offensive on October 9 against the Kurdish YPG militia, whose fighters make up the bulk of the SDF. But there have also been strains over Washington's failure to extradite Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen, accused by Ankara of ordering the 2016 failed coup. which Gulen has denied.

Turkey warns US meeting with SDF chief would 'legitimise terrorists'

The top commander of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/pentagon-chief-looks-to-focus-on-turkey-syria-at-nato-but-has-few-good-options-257946">Syria's Kurdish force</a> on Thursday welcomed a German proposal for an international force to establish a security zone in the north of the country.

"We demand and agree to this," Mazloum Abdi, head of the Syrian Democratic Forces,&nbsp;the moribund autonomous Kurdish region's de facto army, told reporters.

German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer has said she would raise the plan with her counterparts at an ongoing NATO meeting in Brussels.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the German proposal would need U.N. approval to be implemented and therefore "needs to be discussed more in detail before any decision can be made".

The <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/turkey-heading-in-wrong-direction-with-syria-incursion-us-defence-secretary-mark-esper-257941">withdrawal of US troops from northern Syria</a> earlier this month was followed by a string of rapid changes on the ground, with a Turkish invasion and Russian and Syrian government forces also rushing to fill the vacuum.

Moscow and Ankara signed a deal requiring all Kurdish forces to pull back from the border to behind a line 30 kilometres inside Syria, meaning they lost control over a huge slice of the Kurdish heartland.

Abdi has thanked Russia for its new role as the guarantor of a buffer between his forces and those of the Kurds' archfoe Ankara but added he had "reservations" because <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-lifts-turkey-sanctions-quits-blood-stained-syria-257796">Kurdish people in that zone</a> would be left unprotected.

The German initiative was embraced by the United States but has so far struggled to gain traction, and few details are yet available.

Abdi said he had spoken to French President Emmanuel Macron but admitted that the plan was still embryonic and needed an endorsement from Russia, the dominant foreign broker on the Syrian conflict.

"We have communicated with many European countries, including those who announced the initiative. Two days ago I had a phone call with President Macron and we spoke about this project," Abdi said.

"I think it is under development... It needs American and Russian support," he said.

The top commander of Syria's Kurdish force on Thursday welcomed a German proposal for an international force to establish a security zone in the north of the country.

The top commander of Syria's Kurdish force on Thursday welcomed a German proposal for an international force to establish a security zone in the north of the country. "We demand and agree to this," Mazloum Abdi, head of the Syrian Democratic Forces, the moribund autonomous Kurdish region's de facto army, told reporters. German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer has said she would raise the plan with her counterparts at an ongoing NATO meeting in Brussels. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the German proposal would need U.N. approval to be implemented and therefore "needs to be discussed more in detail before any decision can be made". The withdrawal of US troops from northern Syria earlier this month was followed by a string of rapid changes on the ground, with a Turkish invasion and Russian and Syrian government forces also rushing to fill the vacuum. Moscow and Ankara signed a deal requiring all Kurdish forces to pull back from the border to behind a line 30 kilometres inside Syria, meaning they lost control over a huge slice of the Kurdish heartland. Abdi has thanked Russia for its new role as the guarantor of a buffer between his forces and those of the Kurds' archfoe Ankara but added he had "reservations" because Kurdish people in that zone would be left unprotected. The German initiative was embraced by the United States but has so far struggled to gain traction, and few details are yet available. Abdi said he had spoken to French President Emmanuel Macron but admitted that the plan was still embryonic and needed an endorsement from Russia, the dominant foreign broker on the Syrian conflict. "We have communicated with many European countries, including those who announced the initiative. Two days ago I had a phone call with President Macron and we spoke about this project," Abdi said. "I think it is under development... It needs American and Russian support," he said.

Kurds welcome German plan for international force in Syria

President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/big-success-on-turkey-syria-border-safe-zone-created-trump-257746">Donald Trump</a> ended sanctions against Turkey on Wednesday, drawing a line under American involvement in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/more-than-100-islamic-state-prisoners-have-escaped-in-syria-us-envoy-257768">"blood-stained" Syria</a>, as Turkish and Russian troops seized territory previously held by US troops and their beleaguered Kurdish allies.

"Let someone else fight over this long blood-stained sand," Trump said in a White House speech that formalized the ceding of power in northern Syria to Ankara and increasingly influential Moscow.

Trump said he was lifting the sanctions because a ceasefire was holding in the area, which Turkey invaded to drive Kurdish military groups from their strongholds.

Trump called the ceasefire, which allowed the Turkish takeover to proceed largely unopposed, a "major breakthrough."

Rejecting accusations that he betrayed the Syrian Kurds -- who suffered thousands of casualties fighting alongside US troops against the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group -- Trump said they were happy.

The president said the Kurdish commander in the country, Mazloum Abdi, had just told him he was "extremely thankful."

Ankara ordered a cross-border operation into Syria on October 9 because it said it wanted to create a security cordon free of Kurdish armed groups that it considers to be terrorists, linked to Kurdish rebels inside Turkey.

The long-planned operation started after Trump announced the exit of the small, but politically significant US military force which had until then been closely allied with the Kurds.

Trump said he didn't want the US troops caught in the middle of a Turkish-Kurdish war.

Accused both by Republicans and Democrats of abandoning the Kurds, Trump imposed sanctions on Turkey on October 14 and sent a delegation to persuade Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to order a brief ceasefire.

In a tweet from a spokesman on Wednesday, Abdi thanked Trump "for his tireless efforts that stopped the brutal Turkish attack and jihadist groups on our people."

A group of US senators called in a Wednesday letter for US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to expedite a visa for Abdi so the government could "hear directly... about the situation on the ground and the fight" against IS.

Russians move in

As US soldiers and the Kurds exited areas near Turkey's border, Turkish troops and Russian troops, who have propped up Syrian President Bashar al-Assad through his country's multi-sided civil war, moved in.

The first Russian patrol in northern Syria got underway on Wednesday, the defense ministry in Moscow announced.

Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu talked with Abdi and reassured him that civilians would not have to leave their homes, a spokesman said -- apparently addressing allegations that Turkey will seek ethnic cleansing in the region.

Critics of Trump say he has caved in to Turkey and been outplayed by Russia.

"It is unthinkable that Turkey would not suffer consequences for malevolent behavior which was contrary to the interests of the United States and our friends," tweeted Republican Senator Mitt Romney.

But Trump insisted that the power shift is a win for Washington, because he is fulfilling a campaign promise to step away from "ancient sectarian and tribal conflicts."

Islamic State escapees

Trump said there was no risk that the turmoil in the area could lead to a reconstitution of the Islamic State, which has lost its once sizeable territories and has thousands of members and their relatives kept in camps controlled by the Kurds.

With concerns that the Kurds may no longer be able to monitor Islamic State prisoners, Trump said he expects Turkey to "abide by its commitment" to act as a "back-up to the Kurds."

"Should something happen, Turkey is there to grab them," he said.

He was speaking shortly after a US State Department official, James Jeffrey, testified in Congress that "over 100" Islamic State prisoners had escaped so far and "we do not know where they are."

Trump said that a "small number" of US soldiers would remain nearby, but purely to guard oil facilities.

His central message was clear: that the United States has no business in Syria and that there was never any question of trying to stop NATO member Turkey from carrying out its invasion.

"We have spent $8 trillion on wars in the Middle East, never really wanting to win those wars," Trump said.

However, the isolationist policy grates on many Republicans, whom he is depending upon to save him from a Democratic push to impeach and remove him from office over allegations that he abused his office.

Immediately after the speech, powerful Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said the United States had to stay engaged.

The US air power must "continue to control the skies over Syria" he said, adding that the military should "have a small -- but capable -- military partnership" with the Kurds to prevent Islamic State from reemerging.

'Kill, displace and occupy'

The Turkish-occupied area was calm, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based war monitor, said on Wednesday.

However, explosions hit various parts of Syria's northeast, including the Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli and the town of Suluk in the Tal Abyad region near Turkey's border.

The car bomb in Qamishli did not cause casualties, according to the Observatory. But the blast in Suluk, controlled by Ankara's rebel proxies, killed three fighters, a rebel commander there told AFP.

It was unclear who was responsible for the blasts.

Kurds staged angry demonstrations Wednesday in their de facto capital Qamishli.

"This deal serves the interests of foreign powers and not the interests of the people," said official Talaat Youndes.

"Turkey's objective is to kill, displace and occupy the Kurds."

President Donald Trump ended sanctions against Turkey on Wednesday, drawing a line under American involvement in "blood-stained" Syria, as Turkish and Russian troops seized territory previously held by US troops and their beleaguered Kurdish allies.

President Donald Trump ended sanctions against Turkey on Wednesday, drawing a line under American involvement in "blood-stained" Syria, as Turkish and Russian troops seized territory previously held by US troops and their beleaguered Kurdish allies. "Let someone else fight over this long blood-stained sand," Trump said in a White House speech that formalized the ceding of power in northern Syria to Ankara and increasingly influential Moscow. Trump said he was lifting the sanctions because a ceasefire was holding in the area, which Turkey invaded to drive Kurdish military groups from their strongholds. Trump called the ceasefire, which allowed the Turkish takeover to proceed largely unopposed, a "major breakthrough." Rejecting accusations that he betrayed the Syrian Kurds -- who suffered thousands of casualties fighting alongside US troops against the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group -- Trump said they were happy. The president said the Kurdish commander in the country, Mazloum Abdi, had just told him he was "extremely thankful." Ankara ordered a cross-border operation into Syria on October 9 because it said it wanted to create a security cordon free of Kurdish armed groups that it considers to be terrorists, linked to Kurdish rebels inside Turkey. The long-planned operation started after Trump announced the exit of the small, but politically significant US military force which had until then been closely allied with the Kurds. Trump said he didn't want the US troops caught in the middle of a Turkish-Kurdish war. Accused both by Republicans and Democrats of abandoning the Kurds, Trump imposed sanctions on Turkey on October 14 and sent a delegation to persuade Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to order a brief ceasefire. In a tweet from a spokesman on Wednesday, Abdi thanked Trump "for his tireless efforts that stopped the brutal Turkish attack and jihadist groups on our people." A group of US senators called in a Wednesday letter for US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to expedite a visa for Abdi so the government could "hear directly... about the situation on the ground and the fight" against IS. Russians move in As US soldiers and the Kurds exited areas near Turkey's border, Turkish troops and Russian troops, who have propped up Syrian President Bashar al-Assad through his country's multi-sided civil war, moved in. The first Russian patrol in northern Syria got underway on Wednesday, the defense ministry in Moscow announced. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu talked with Abdi and reassured him that civilians would not have to leave their homes, a spokesman said -- apparently addressing allegations that Turkey will seek ethnic cleansing in the region. Critics of Trump say he has caved in to Turkey and been outplayed by Russia. "It is unthinkable that Turkey would not suffer consequences for malevolent behavior which was contrary to the interests of the United States and our friends," tweeted Republican Senator Mitt Romney. But Trump insisted that the power shift is a win for Washington, because he is fulfilling a campaign promise to step away from "ancient sectarian and tribal conflicts." Islamic State escapees Trump said there was no risk that the turmoil in the area could lead to a reconstitution of the Islamic State, which has lost its once sizeable territories and has thousands of members and their relatives kept in camps controlled by the Kurds. With concerns that the Kurds may no longer be able to monitor Islamic State prisoners, Trump said he expects Turkey to "abide by its commitment" to act as a "back-up to the Kurds." "Should something happen, Turkey is there to grab them," he said. He was speaking shortly after a US State Department official, James Jeffrey, testified in Congress that "over 100" Islamic State prisoners had escaped so far and "we do not know where they are." Trump said that a "small number" of US soldiers would remain nearby, but purely to guard oil facilities. His central message was clear: that the United States has no business in Syria and that there was never any question of trying to stop NATO member Turkey from carrying out its invasion. "We have spent $8 trillion on wars in the Middle East, never really wanting to win those wars," Trump said. However, the isolationist policy grates on many Republicans, whom he is depending upon to save him from a Democratic push to impeach and remove him from office over allegations that he abused his office. Immediately after the speech, powerful Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said the United States had to stay engaged. The US air power must "continue to control the skies over Syria" he said, adding that the military should "have a small -- but capable -- military partnership" with the Kurds to prevent Islamic State from reemerging. 'Kill, displace and occupy' The Turkish-occupied area was calm, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based war monitor, said on Wednesday. However, explosions hit various parts of Syria's northeast, including the Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli and the town of Suluk in the Tal Abyad region near Turkey's border. The car bomb in Qamishli did not cause casualties, according to the Observatory. But the blast in Suluk, controlled by Ankara's rebel proxies, killed three fighters, a rebel commander there told AFP. It was unclear who was responsible for the blasts. Kurds staged angry demonstrations Wednesday in their de facto capital Qamishli. "This deal serves the interests of foreign powers and not the interests of the people," said official Talaat Youndes. "Turkey's objective is to kill, displace and occupy the Kurds."

Donald Trump lifts Turkey sanctions, quits ‘blood-stained’ Syria

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/turkey-heading-in-wrong-direction-with-syria-incursion-us-defence-secretary-mark-esper-257941">United States&nbsp;Defence Secretary Mark Esper</a> is expected to focus on Turkey's recent offensive into northeastern Syria and the future of the fight against Islamic State when he meets with North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) partners in Brussels this week, but he has limited options in dealing with either issue.

Earlier this month, US&nbsp;President Donald Trump announced that he&nbsp;would be withdrawing their&nbsp;troops from northeastern Syria, clearing the way for Turkish troops to launch an offensive against Kurdish fighters in the area.

Since then, Trump has said he will keep a small number of troops in parts of northeastern Syria where there is oil. Russian military police started deploying on Syria's border with Turkey on Wednesday under a deal with Ankara to drive Kurdish fighters from the region.

Last week, Esper said he would press NATO allies "to take collective and individual diplomatic and economic measures in response" to Turkey's incursion into northeastern Syria, even as critics have pointed out that Trump's decision enabled the Turkish offensive.

In a speech on Thursday in Brussels before the NATO meeting, Esper is expected to call out Turkey's actions.

According to prepared remarks, Esper will say Turkey's actions jeopardise the progress made in Syria.

Statements by the Pentagon criticising Turkey in the past month have had little impact on Ankara.

Rachel Rizzo, a fellow at the Center for a New American Security think-tank, said Esper has few options to punish NATO member Turkey at NATO.

"As far as NATO-level punishment, I don't see really what is possible," Rizzo said.

She said Trump's initial decision to pull out of northeast Syria was seen in Europe as enabling Turkey to carry out the incursion and the latest sign that they could not rely on the Trump administration.

A number of European countries have suspended weapons sales to Turkey.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday decried NATO's inability to react to what he called Turkey's "crazy" offensive and said it was time Europe stopped acting like a junior ally when it came to the Middle East.

Germany's defence minister has told lawmakers she wants to get the U.N. Security Council to approve a safe zone in northern Syria.

Trump has defended his decision to move most troops out of Syria. He said on Wednesday that the ceasefire in northern Syria is now permanent and lifted sanctions on Turkey as a result. 
 
Future of ISIS fight

The American pullout from northeastern Syria has raised concern that it could allow a resurgence of Islamic State militants.

Esper is expected to meet with counterparts from Germany, France and Britain to discuss how the fight against Islamic State militants can continue and what it would look like, a senior US&nbsp;defence official said.

Many US&nbsp;lawmakers, both Democrats and Trump's fellow Republicans, have expressed dismay over Trump's decision to withdraw troops from Syria, clearing the way for Turkish troops to battle Kurdish forces who for years helped US&nbsp;troops fight Islamic State militants, taking the brunt of the casualties.

The fate of Islamic State militants in Syrian Kurdish prisons remains up in the air.

A senior Trump administration official said while most ISIS (Islamic State) fighters remained under lock and key, it appeared that a small number had escaped from prisons.

United States Defence Secretary Mark Esper is expected to focus on Turkey's recent offensive into northeastern Syria and the future of the fight against Islamic State when he meets with North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) partners in Brussels this week, but he has limited options in dealing with either issue.

United States Defence Secretary Mark Esper is expected to focus on Turkey's recent offensive into northeastern Syria and the future of the fight against Islamic State when he meets with North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) partners in Brussels this week, but he has limited options in dealing with either issue. Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump announced that he would be withdrawing their troops from northeastern Syria, clearing the way for Turkish troops to launch an offensive against Kurdish fighters in the area. Since then, Trump has said he will keep a small number of troops in parts of northeastern Syria where there is oil. Russian military police started deploying on Syria's border with Turkey on Wednesday under a deal with Ankara to drive Kurdish fighters from the region. Last week, Esper said he would press NATO allies "to take collective and individual diplomatic and economic measures in response" to Turkey's incursion into northeastern Syria, even as critics have pointed out that Trump's decision enabled the Turkish offensive. In a speech on Thursday in Brussels before the NATO meeting, Esper is expected to call out Turkey's actions. According to prepared remarks, Esper will say Turkey's actions jeopardise the progress made in Syria. Statements by the Pentagon criticising Turkey in the past month have had little impact on Ankara. Rachel Rizzo, a fellow at the Center for a New American Security think-tank, said Esper has few options to punish NATO member Turkey at NATO. "As far as NATO-level punishment, I don't see really what is possible," Rizzo said. She said Trump's initial decision to pull out of northeast Syria was seen in Europe as enabling Turkey to carry out the incursion and the latest sign that they could not rely on the Trump administration. A number of European countries have suspended weapons sales to Turkey. French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday decried NATO's inability to react to what he called Turkey's "crazy" offensive and said it was time Europe stopped acting like a junior ally when it came to the Middle East. Germany's defence minister has told lawmakers she wants to get the U.N. Security Council to approve a safe zone in northern Syria. Trump has defended his decision to move most troops out of Syria. He said on Wednesday that the ceasefire in northern Syria is now permanent and lifted sanctions on Turkey as a result. Future of ISIS fight The American pullout from northeastern Syria has raised concern that it could allow a resurgence of Islamic State militants. Esper is expected to meet with counterparts from Germany, France and Britain to discuss how the fight against Islamic State militants can continue and what it would look like, a senior US defence official said. Many US lawmakers, both Democrats and Trump's fellow Republicans, have expressed dismay over Trump's decision to withdraw troops from Syria, clearing the way for Turkish troops to battle Kurdish forces who for years helped US troops fight Islamic State militants, taking the brunt of the casualties. The fate of Islamic State militants in Syrian Kurdish prisons remains up in the air. A senior Trump administration official said while most ISIS (Islamic State) fighters remained under lock and key, it appeared that a small number had escaped from prisons.

Pentagon chief looks to focus on Turkey, Syria at NATO but has few good options

By Miles A Pomper

As the Syrian crisis pits Turkish troops against former US-allied Kurdish forces, Pentagon officials have been reviewing plans to remove 50 nuclear bombs stored at a US airbase in Turkey.

A congressional directive to the Pentagon to quickly assess alternative homes for the US. “Personnel and assets” currently stationed at Incirlik Air Base is part of a broader bipartisan bill, still being debated, that proposes sanctions against Turkey. President Donald Trump has been forced to issue public reassurances that the weapons are secure.

During the Cold War, the US stationed B-61 nuclear bombs in Turkey, among other NATO countries. Formally, the US-controlled the weapons during peacetime, but the host countries’ forces trained and equipped planes so they could drop the bombs with US support in the case of war. The idea was to deter Soviet ground forces and reassure US allies by making clear that the US would be willing to risk nuclear war to block a Soviet invasion of a country hosting the bombs.

In addition, in the years before the US developed intercontinental ballistic missiles, they presented a way for NATO to demonstrate it could act quickly to respond to a Soviet attack.

The 50 bombs still at Incirlik Air Base, in southern Turkey – and others in Belgium, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands – are the last nuclear remnants of that Cold War strategy. The US began pulling nuclear bombs out of NATO countries after the Cold War ended, and since 2000 has removed 40 bombs from Turkey.

Two decades ago, the Turkish Air Force stopped equipping its planes to drop B-61s. Now the bombs at Incirlik could only be used if US pilots first flew nuclear-weapon-capable planes there to load them up. The bombs were left in Turkey even after a 2016 coup attempt raised serious concerns about their safety. After that event, the US Defense and Energy departments began planning how to remove them – but didn’t actually bring them back to the US.

How secure are they?

US nuclear weapons are stored in hardened bunkers, protected by electronic systems and heavily armed US troops. The Pentagon has recently reinforced both of those methods of defence.

The bombs themselves also require 12-digit codes to activate them, However, those protections are only strong enough to delay unauthorised use, rather than actually prevent it. If those barriers were overcome, US forces could disable the weapons by destroying electrical components or detonating their chemical high explosive without causing a nuclear release. In the worst case, they could blow up the weapons or the facilities at Incirlik.

Still the US procedures are not designed to prevent skilled attacks or sabotage, especially from an ally. With enough time, Turkey could make use of the nuclear material – if not to detonate in an actual nuclear explosion, then to “release disastrous and deadly radiation.”

What’s wrong with removing them?

Taking the weapons out of Turkey carries some physical risks. The bombs aren’t terribly heavy – roughly 700 pounds each – but moving nuclear material requires significant security. In addition, the Turkish government would have to help – or at least not stand in the way – of landing transport planes or sending cargo convoys by land or sea.

The greater risks are likely to be political. Those concerns have discouraged previous US administrations from removing the bombs, even though Turkey’s defence community isn’t particularly interested in using them.

One US concern is that Turkey could perceive the move as a push away from NATO. That could lead to Turkey seeking closer ties with Russia.

In addition, pulling the nuclear weapons out of Turkey could prompt requests to remove other bombs from Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany, where they are publicly unpopular.

A new worry just arose, when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently mused whether perhaps Turkey should leave the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and develop its own nuclear arsenal US officials have long feared that pulling the American nuclear bombs out could encourage Ergodan to try to turn that bluster into reality.

Unintentionally, Trump’s efforts to provide reassurance may have made this challenge more difficult. The presence of B-61s in the five countries is an open secret, confirmed by independent observers. But it has nonetheless been NATO policy not to acknowledge the deployments, giving local politicians and the US&nbsp;a shield from parliamentary and public oversight.

By publicly confirming that the weapons were in Turkey, Trump has raised the political stakes should he try to remove them, and made it more difficult for the United States and Turkey to strike a quiet deal to that effect.&nbsp; 
 
(Miles A Pomper is Senior Fellow, James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, Middlebury)

(This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-the-us-has-nuclear-weapons-in-turkey-and-may-try-to-put-the-bombs-away-125477">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL) &nbsp;

By Miles A Pomper As the Syrian crisis pits Turkish troops against former US-allied Kurdish forces, Pentagon officials have been reviewing plans to remove 50 nuclear bombs stored at a US airbase in Turkey.

By Miles A Pomper As the Syrian crisis pits Turkish troops against former US-allied Kurdish forces, Pentagon officials have been reviewing plans to remove 50 nuclear bombs stored at a US airbase in Turkey. A congressional directive to the Pentagon to quickly assess alternative homes for the US. “Personnel and assets” currently stationed at Incirlik Air Base is part of a broader bipartisan bill, still being debated, that proposes sanctions against Turkey. President Donald Trump has been forced to issue public reassurances that the weapons are secure. During the Cold War, the US stationed B-61 nuclear bombs in Turkey, among other NATO countries. Formally, the US-controlled the weapons during peacetime, but the host countries’ forces trained and equipped planes so they could drop the bombs with US support in the case of war. The idea was to deter Soviet ground forces and reassure US allies by making clear that the US would be willing to risk nuclear war to block a Soviet invasion of a country hosting the bombs. In addition, in the years before the US developed intercontinental ballistic missiles, they presented a way for NATO to demonstrate it could act quickly to respond to a Soviet attack. The 50 bombs still at Incirlik Air Base, in southern Turkey – and others in Belgium, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands – are the last nuclear remnants of that Cold War strategy. The US began pulling nuclear bombs out of NATO countries after the Cold War ended, and since 2000 has removed 40 bombs from Turkey. Two decades ago, the Turkish Air Force stopped equipping its planes to drop B-61s. Now the bombs at Incirlik could only be used if US pilots first flew nuclear-weapon-capable planes there to load them up. The bombs were left in Turkey even after a 2016 coup attempt raised serious concerns about their safety. After that event, the US Defense and Energy departments began planning how to remove them – but didn’t actually bring them back to the US. How secure are they? US nuclear weapons are stored in hardened bunkers, protected by electronic systems and heavily armed US troops. The Pentagon has recently reinforced both of those methods of defence. The bombs themselves also require 12-digit codes to activate them, However, those protections are only strong enough to delay unauthorised use, rather than actually prevent it. If those barriers were overcome, US forces could disable the weapons by destroying electrical components or detonating their chemical high explosive without causing a nuclear release. In the worst case, they could blow up the weapons or the facilities at Incirlik. Still the US procedures are not designed to prevent skilled attacks or sabotage, especially from an ally. With enough time, Turkey could make use of the nuclear material – if not to detonate in an actual nuclear explosion, then to “release disastrous and deadly radiation.” What’s wrong with removing them? Taking the weapons out of Turkey carries some physical risks. The bombs aren’t terribly heavy – roughly 700 pounds each – but moving nuclear material requires significant security. In addition, the Turkish government would have to help – or at least not stand in the way – of landing transport planes or sending cargo convoys by land or sea. The greater risks are likely to be political. Those concerns have discouraged previous US administrations from removing the bombs, even though Turkey’s defence community isn’t particularly interested in using them. One US concern is that Turkey could perceive the move as a push away from NATO. That could lead to Turkey seeking closer ties with Russia. In addition, pulling the nuclear weapons out of Turkey could prompt requests to remove other bombs from Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany, where they are publicly unpopular. A new worry just arose, when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently mused whether perhaps Turkey should leave the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and develop its own nuclear arsenal US officials have long feared that pulling the American nuclear bombs out could encourage Ergodan to try to turn that bluster into reality. Unintentionally, Trump’s efforts to provide reassurance may have made this challenge more difficult. The presence of B-61s in the five countries is an open secret, confirmed by independent observers. But it has nonetheless been NATO policy not to acknowledge the deployments, giving local politicians and the US a shield from parliamentary and public oversight. By publicly confirming that the weapons were in Turkey, Trump has raised the political stakes should he try to remove them, and made it more difficult for the United States and Turkey to strike a quiet deal to that effect. (Miles A Pomper is Senior Fellow, James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, Middlebury) (This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Why US has nuclear weapons in Turkey – and may try to put the bombs away

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/hope-to-find-answers-to-all-complicated-questions-putin-after-meeting-erdogan-in-sochi-257563">Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan</a> said on Tuesday the United States has not fully kept its promises agreed in last week's temporary truce in northeastern Syria, according to Turkish broadcaster NTV.

Erdogan, speaking after striking a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-turkey-ceasefire-agreement-uncertain-as-erdogan-meets-putin-257131">deal with Russia</a> to remove <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/why-the-kurdish-conflict-in-turkey-is-so-intractable-257232">Syrian Kurdish fighters</a> from <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/turkey-replaces-four-more-pro-kurdish-mayors-as-crackdown-widens-257486">Turkey</a>'s border regions, was quoted as saying, "The US&nbsp;has not fully kept its promises."

"If we make compromises we would open the way for the terrorist organisation," he added according to NTV.

Syrian and Russian forces will deploy in northeast Syria to remove Kurdish YPG fighters and their weapons from the border with Turkey under a deal agreed on Tuesday which both Moscow and Ankara hailed as a triumph.

Hours after the deal was announced, the Turkish defence ministry said that the United States had told Turkey the withdrawal of Kurdish militants was complete from the "safe zone" Ankara demands in northern Syria.

There was no need to initiate another operation outside the current area of operation at this stage, the ministry said in a statement, effectively ending its military offensive that had begun on October&nbsp;9, drawing widespread criticism.

The agreement follows a US-brokered truce which expired on Tuesday and underlines the dizzying changes in Syria since US&nbsp;President Donald Trump announced the withdrawal of American troops two weeks ago ahead of Turkey's cross-border offensive against the Kurds.

The Russia-Turkey agreement struck in the Black Sea resort of Sochi endorses the return of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces to the border alongside Russian troops, replacing the Americans who had patrolled the region for years with their former Kurdish allies.

Under the pact between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, the two countries said Russian military police and Syrian border guards would start removing the YPG 30 km (19 miles) from the Turkish border on Wednesday.

Six days later, Russian and Turkish forces will jointly start to patrol a narrower, 10 km strip of land in the "safe zone" that Ankara has long sought in northeast Syria.

US&nbsp;Vice President Mike Pence voiced support for the establishment of the safe zone.

"We may well give the international community an opportunity to establish a safe zone between Turkey and the Kurdish population in Syria that will ensure peace and security," Pence told a Heritage Foundation gala in Washington.

Earlier on Tuesday, Jim Jeffrey, the senior US&nbsp;diplomat on Syria, dismissed the Sochi deal and questioned whether the Russians could get the YPG to leave the territory it covers.

"It's full of holes," he told a congressional hearing. "All I know it will stop the Turks from moving forward. Whether the Russians will ever live up to their commitment, which is very vague, to ... get the YPG out of their areas, I don't know."

Putin calls deal 'momentous'

After six hours of talks with Erdogan in Sochi, Putin expressed satisfaction at decisions he described as "very important, if not momentous, to resolve what is a pretty tense situation which has developed on the Syrian-Turkish border".

A senior Turkish official described it as an "excellent" deal which would achieve Turkey's long-held goal of a border strip cleared of the YPG, which Ankara regards as a terrorist organisation because of its links to insurgents inside Turkey.

Last week's US-brokered deal was limited to the central part of the border strip between the Syrian towns of Tel Abyad and Ras al Ain, where Turkish forces had focused their military offensive.

Under the deal with Moscow, the length of border which the YPG would be required to pull back from is more than triple the size of the territory covered by the US-Turkish accord, covering most of the area Turkey had wanted to include.

"The outcome of the Putin-Erdogan meeting in Sochi today indicates that Erdogan has become a master of leveraging the US&nbsp;and Russia against each other to maximize Ankara's gains," Soner Cagaptay, director of the Turkish program at the Washington Institute said in a tweet.

"Turkey got the safe zone it wanted all this time."

Some 300,000 people have been displaced by Turkey's offensive and 120 civilians have been killed, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor. It said on Sunday 259 fighters with the Kurdish-led forces had been killed, and 196 Turkey-backed Syrian rebels. Turkey says 765 terrorists but no civilians have been killed in its offensive.

Pence received a letter from Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander Mazloum Kobani on Tuesday saying their forces had withdrawn "from the relevant area of operations" under that deal, Pence's spokeswoman Katie Waldman said.

However, before flying to Russia Erdogan had said hundreds of Kurdish fighters remained near to Syria's northeast border despite the truce demanding their withdrawal. Earlier he had said the fighting might resume if promises by Washington were not kept.

The US&nbsp;withdrawal from northern Syria has been criticized by US&nbsp;lawmakers, including some of Trump's fellow Republicans, as a betrayal of Kurdish allies who have helped the United States fight Islamic State in Syria.

Turkey sought a "safe zone" along 440 km (275 miles) of border with northeast Syria, but its assault focused on the two border towns in the centre of that strip, Ras al Ain and Tel Abyad.

Syrian and Russian forces have already entered two border cities, Manbij and Kobani, which lie within Turkey's planned "safe zone" but to the west of Turkey's military operations.

Erdogan has said he could accept the presence of Syrian troops in those areas, as long as the YPG are pushed out.

Russia is an ally of Assad. Turkey has backed rebels seeking to oust Assad during Syria's more than eight-year-long civil war but has dropped its once frequent calls for him to quit.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday the United States has not fully kept its promises agreed in last week's temporary truce in northeastern Syria, according to Turkish broadcaster NTV.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday the United States has not fully kept its promises agreed in last week's temporary truce in northeastern Syria, according to Turkish broadcaster NTV. Erdogan, speaking after striking a deal with Russia to remove Syrian Kurdish fighters from Turkey's border regions, was quoted as saying, "The US has not fully kept its promises." "If we make compromises we would open the way for the terrorist organisation," he added according to NTV. Syrian and Russian forces will deploy in northeast Syria to remove Kurdish YPG fighters and their weapons from the border with Turkey under a deal agreed on Tuesday which both Moscow and Ankara hailed as a triumph. Hours after the deal was announced, the Turkish defence ministry said that the United States had told Turkey the withdrawal of Kurdish militants was complete from the "safe zone" Ankara demands in northern Syria. There was no need to initiate another operation outside the current area of operation at this stage, the ministry said in a statement, effectively ending its military offensive that had begun on October 9, drawing widespread criticism. The agreement follows a US-brokered truce which expired on Tuesday and underlines the dizzying changes in Syria since US President Donald Trump announced the withdrawal of American troops two weeks ago ahead of Turkey's cross-border offensive against the Kurds. The Russia-Turkey agreement struck in the Black Sea resort of Sochi endorses the return of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces to the border alongside Russian troops, replacing the Americans who had patrolled the region for years with their former Kurdish allies. Under the pact between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, the two countries said Russian military police and Syrian border guards would start removing the YPG 30 km (19 miles) from the Turkish border on Wednesday. Six days later, Russian and Turkish forces will jointly start to patrol a narrower, 10 km strip of land in the "safe zone" that Ankara has long sought in northeast Syria. US Vice President Mike Pence voiced support for the establishment of the safe zone. "We may well give the international community an opportunity to establish a safe zone between Turkey and the Kurdish population in Syria that will ensure peace and security," Pence told a Heritage Foundation gala in Washington. Earlier on Tuesday, Jim Jeffrey, the senior US diplomat on Syria, dismissed the Sochi deal and questioned whether the Russians could get the YPG to leave the territory it covers. "It's full of holes," he told a congressional hearing. "All I know it will stop the Turks from moving forward. Whether the Russians will ever live up to their commitment, which is very vague, to ... get the YPG out of their areas, I don't know." Putin calls deal 'momentous' After six hours of talks with Erdogan in Sochi, Putin expressed satisfaction at decisions he described as "very important, if not momentous, to resolve what is a pretty tense situation which has developed on the Syrian-Turkish border". A senior Turkish official described it as an "excellent" deal which would achieve Turkey's long-held goal of a border strip cleared of the YPG, which Ankara regards as a terrorist organisation because of its links to insurgents inside Turkey. Last week's US-brokered deal was limited to the central part of the border strip between the Syrian towns of Tel Abyad and Ras al Ain, where Turkish forces had focused their military offensive. Under the deal with Moscow, the length of border which the YPG would be required to pull back from is more than triple the size of the territory covered by the US-Turkish accord, covering most of the area Turkey had wanted to include. "The outcome of the Putin-Erdogan meeting in Sochi today indicates that Erdogan has become a master of leveraging the US and Russia against each other to maximize Ankara's gains," Soner Cagaptay, director of the Turkish program at the Washington Institute said in a tweet. "Turkey got the safe zone it wanted all this time." Some 300,000 people have been displaced by Turkey's offensive and 120 civilians have been killed, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor. It said on Sunday 259 fighters with the Kurdish-led forces had been killed, and 196 Turkey-backed Syrian rebels. Turkey says 765 terrorists but no civilians have been killed in its offensive. Pence received a letter from Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander Mazloum Kobani on Tuesday saying their forces had withdrawn "from the relevant area of operations" under that deal, Pence's spokeswoman Katie Waldman said. However, before flying to Russia Erdogan had said hundreds of Kurdish fighters remained near to Syria's northeast border despite the truce demanding their withdrawal. Earlier he had said the fighting might resume if promises by Washington were not kept. The US withdrawal from northern Syria has been criticized by US lawmakers, including some of Trump's fellow Republicans, as a betrayal of Kurdish allies who have helped the United States fight Islamic State in Syria. Turkey sought a "safe zone" along 440 km (275 miles) of border with northeast Syria, but its assault focused on the two border towns in the centre of that strip, Ras al Ain and Tel Abyad. Syrian and Russian forces have already entered two border cities, Manbij and Kobani, which lie within Turkey's planned "safe zone" but to the west of Turkey's military operations. Erdogan has said he could accept the presence of Syrian troops in those areas, as long as the YPG are pushed out. Russia is an ally of Assad. Turkey has backed rebels seeking to oust Assad during Syria's more than eight-year-long civil war but has dropped its once frequent calls for him to quit.

'US has not kept promises on Syria,' says Erdogan after sealing Russia deal

More than 100 prisoners of the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/we-have-taken-most-dangerous-isis-fighters-in-syria-trump-254848">Islamic State</a> extremist movement have escaped in Syria in the chaos since <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/key-developments-in-turkeys-offensive-in-syria-256638">Turkey's incursion</a>, a senior US official said Wednesday.

"We would say the number is now over 100. We do not know where they are," James Jeffrey, the State Department pointman on Syria, told the House Foreign Affairs Committee when asked about the detainees.

Turkey launched a military operation in Syria after President Donald Trump agreed to pull US troops who were allied with the Syrian Democratic Forces, the Kurdish-led group that bore the brunt of the fight against the Islamic State group.

Jeffrey said that the Kurdish fighters were still guarding prisoners from the extremist group, despite their warnings that they will need to devote resources to fight Turkey instead.

"Almost all of the prisons that the SDF were guarding are still secured. The SDF still has people there," Jeffrey said.

"We are monitoring that as best we can. We still have people in Syria working with the SDF and one of those priorities is these prisons," he said.

The Kurdish fighters have pulled out of a key border area as part of a US-brokered agreement with Turkey to end the offensive.

Turkey links the Syrian Kurdish fighters to PKK separatists at home, who are considered a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union.

 
&nbsp;

More than 100 prisoners of the Islamic State extremist movement have escaped in Syria in the chaos since Turkey's incursion, a senior US official said Wednesday.

More than 100 prisoners of the Islamic State extremist movement have escaped in Syria in the chaos since Turkey's incursion, a senior US official said Wednesday. "We would say the number is now over 100. We do not know where they are," James Jeffrey, the State Department pointman on Syria, told the House Foreign Affairs Committee when asked about the detainees. Turkey launched a military operation in Syria after President Donald Trump agreed to pull US troops who were allied with the Syrian Democratic Forces, the Kurdish-led group that bore the brunt of the fight against the Islamic State group. Jeffrey said that the Kurdish fighters were still guarding prisoners from the extremist group, despite their warnings that they will need to devote resources to fight Turkey instead. "Almost all of the prisons that the SDF were guarding are still secured. The SDF still has people there," Jeffrey said. "We are monitoring that as best we can. We still have people in Syria working with the SDF and one of those priorities is these prisons," he said. The Kurdish fighters have pulled out of a key border area as part of a US-brokered agreement with Turkey to end the offensive. Turkey links the Syrian Kurdish fighters to PKK separatists at home, who are considered a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union.

More than 100 Islamic State prisoners have escaped in Syria: US envoy

Turkey and Russia agreed on Tuesday (October 22) to remove the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia to beyond 30 km (19 miles) from the Turkish border, after which their troops will jointly patrol a narrower strip of land in the "safe zone" that Ankara has long sought in northern Syria.

Turkey, Russia agree Kurdish YPG withdrawal

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad made a rare visit to a frontline of Syria's conflict on Tuesday (October 22), touring an area in war-torn northwestern Idlib province close to the last major bastion of Turkey-backed rebel forces.

Syria's Assad tours Idlib frontline near rebels

syria

Syria, News on Syria, stories on Syria, articles on Syria, Syria stories at Wion, Syria news, Syria latest news