Syria
This picture shows pumpjacks in an oil field and smoke plumes rising in the background, following reported Turkish drone strikes near the town of Tirbespi (al-Qahtaniyah) in Syria's northeastern Hasakah province (Rojava) on November 23, 2022. Photo: Gihad Darwish/AFP
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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United States on Tuesday called for restraint in northern Syria amid a surge in tensions while stating that a ground offensive would destabilize the region and “severely jeopardize” progress made in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS).
“We certainly urge restraint amidst the tensions in this region. And as you highlight the continued conflict, especially a ground invasion, would severely jeopardize the hard-fought gains that the world has achieved against ISIS, and would destabilize the region,” Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said during a press briefing.
Turkey launched its latest aerial campaign dubbed Operation Claw-Sword targeting Kurdish positions in northern Syria and the Kurdistan Region on November 20. The operation has led to a barrage of dozens of drones and airstrikes targeting the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which presents a danger to US personnel as they maintain a presence in the proximity of the area.
Last week, the US Central Command said that a deadly Turkish drone strike against a joint Kurdish-American base that killed 2 SDF fighters put American forces in northern Syria in danger.
Ryder confirmed that the US has reduced the number of joint patrols with the SDF because the Kurdish force has also cut back on patrols.
When asked about Turkey’s looming ground offensive, Ryder reiterated Washington’s calls for de-escalation and said that US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin “will talk to his counterpart in the very near future,” referring to Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar.
The SDF, a key US ally, was the primary force that defeated ISIS in Syria in 2019, reclaiming swathes of territory from the terror group as their backbone – the People’s Protection Units (YPG) - received worldwide recognition for their successful resistance to ISIS as the terror group pounded on the northern Syrian Kurdish city of Kobane in 2014.
Turkey claims that the YPG is the Syrian offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and has designated both groups as terrorists while constantly targeting their positions southward across the border.
Mazloum Abdi, the general commander of the SDF, said on Saturday that the force has stopped operations against ISIS due to the Turkish attacks as they are busy defending against the strikes.
“We do recognize Turkey’s legitimate security concerns regarding terrorist attacks that have occurred within its own borders,” Ryder added while calling for de-escalation.
The Turkish operation came a few days after a TNT-laden bomb killed six people and injured 81 others in the Turkish metropolis of Istanbul. Turkish authorities have blamed the PKK and YPG but both groups have strongly rejected the accusation.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said on Tuesday that the death toll from the recent Turkish military escalation has risen to 83 people, including 30 SDF members, 30 Syrian army soldiers, and ten civilians.
“We certainly urge restraint amidst the tensions in this region. And as you highlight the continued conflict, especially a ground invasion, would severely jeopardize the hard-fought gains that the world has achieved against ISIS, and would destabilize the region,” Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said during a press briefing.
Turkey launched its latest aerial campaign dubbed Operation Claw-Sword targeting Kurdish positions in northern Syria and the Kurdistan Region on November 20. The operation has led to a barrage of dozens of drones and airstrikes targeting the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which presents a danger to US personnel as they maintain a presence in the proximity of the area.
Last week, the US Central Command said that a deadly Turkish drone strike against a joint Kurdish-American base that killed 2 SDF fighters put American forces in northern Syria in danger.
Ryder confirmed that the US has reduced the number of joint patrols with the SDF because the Kurdish force has also cut back on patrols.
When asked about Turkey’s looming ground offensive, Ryder reiterated Washington’s calls for de-escalation and said that US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin “will talk to his counterpart in the very near future,” referring to Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar.
The SDF, a key US ally, was the primary force that defeated ISIS in Syria in 2019, reclaiming swathes of territory from the terror group as their backbone – the People’s Protection Units (YPG) - received worldwide recognition for their successful resistance to ISIS as the terror group pounded on the northern Syrian Kurdish city of Kobane in 2014.
Turkey claims that the YPG is the Syrian offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and has designated both groups as terrorists while constantly targeting their positions southward across the border.
Mazloum Abdi, the general commander of the SDF, said on Saturday that the force has stopped operations against ISIS due to the Turkish attacks as they are busy defending against the strikes.
“We do recognize Turkey’s legitimate security concerns regarding terrorist attacks that have occurred within its own borders,” Ryder added while calling for de-escalation.
The Turkish operation came a few days after a TNT-laden bomb killed six people and injured 81 others in the Turkish metropolis of Istanbul. Turkish authorities have blamed the PKK and YPG but both groups have strongly rejected the accusation.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said on Tuesday that the death toll from the recent Turkish military escalation has risen to 83 people, including 30 SDF members, 30 Syrian army soldiers, and ten civilians.
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