ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Wednesday urged Turkey to maintain the current ceasefire lines in northern Syria, adding that any further military escalations would destabilize the region’s security, hours after Turkey announced their intention to “clear” the area from Kurdish fighters.
In a joint press conference with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday, Blinken warned Turkey against a new military operation in northern Syria, as the prospect would risk undermining the stability of the country and the wider region.
“Any escalation there, in northern Syria, it’s something that we would oppose, and we support the maintenance of the current ceasefire lines. The concern that we have is that any new offensive would undermine regional stability… [and] provide malign actors with opportunities to exploit instability," Blinken said.
Kurdish fighters in northeast Syria (Rojava) have been Washington’s main allies on the ground in the fight against Islamic State (ISIS) since the group controlled swathes of land in Syria and Iraq in 2014. The US has provided ammunition and military support to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) as well as mediating between Kurdish ruling and opposition parties.
Blinken said the US does not want to see anything jeopardize the efforts they have made with their partners in Syria, referring to the Kurdish-led SDF, in fighting ISIS and keeping its remnants “in the box that we put it in.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said last week that Ankara would launch a new military operation into northern Syria to create a 30 kilometer “security zone” along its southern border. The offense is likely aimed at pushing back Kurdish fighters from the area. It alleges that the fighters are allied with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), an armed group fighting for the increased rights of Kurds in Turkey and is viewed as a terrorist organization by Ankara.
His talks of a new incursion come amid his attempt to block Finland and Sweden from joining NATO, alleging their support for the PKK.
Referring to the armed group as "terrorist threats," Stoltenberg said Finland is ready to address Ankara's concerns.
“All NATO allies are of course ready to sit down and address those concerns, including the threats posed to Turkey by PKK. And this is terrorist threats, which of course is something we are taking very seriously,” said Stoltenberg during the joint presser, adding that Turkey was an important ally to NATO, and that “no other NATO ally has suffered more terrorist attacks than Turkey.”
Hours prior to the presser, Erdogan stated that his country was clearing the Tel Rifaat and Manbij areas of “terrorists”, referring to Kurdish fighters in northern Syria.
Following the speech from Erdogan on Wednesday, Hawar News Agency (ANHA), affiliated with Kurdish authorities in Rojava, reported that the Turkish army had allegedly bombarded areas in Tel Rifaat, one of the two regions that Erdogan named. The media also reported bombardments in the towns of Ain Issa and Tal Tamir, accusing Turkey of the attacks.
At least four people were killed in bombardment from unidentified warplanes that targeted positions of the Turkish army in Turkish-controlled Gire Spi (Tal Abyad) earlier in the day, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) denied any involvement in the offensive.
Ned Price, the US State Department spokesperson, on Tuesday renewed Washington’s call for Turkey to stick to the ceasefire lines per the 2019 agreement, adding that the US remains “deeply concerned” about the potential of a new Turkish offensive in northern Syria and its impact on the people of the country.
In October 2019, Turkey and the United States reached an agreement to halt Turkish military offensives in northern Syria to allow US forces to facilitate the safe withdrawal of the People’s Protection Units (YPG) from the 20-mile-wide ‘safe zone’ along the shared border.
Updated on June 2, 9:11 am with Jens Stoltenberg remarks
