“The US has informed us that the YPG terrorists have withdrawn from there and destroyed some of their positions,” Hulusi Akar told reporters after visiting the national cemetery for the anniversary of Turkish Victory Day.
“We want to see all of these in person and confirm with our own eyes.”
His comments follow a reported withdrawal of Kurdish forces from the Ras al-Ain area on Syria’s northern border with Turkey on August 24 and Tal Abyad two days later, according to a statement from the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (NES) on Tuesday.
“The first practical steps – in the Ras al-Ain area – in removing some earth mounds and withdrawing a group of People’s Protection Units and heavy weapons have begun,” the statement read.
Two days before the reported withdrawal, the YPG – which forms the backbone of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) – destroyed fortifications on the border in accordance with the proposed safe zone agreement, as reported by US Central Command (CENTCOM) on August 23.
However, an SDF spokesperson said later the same day they had only withdrawn weaponry, not forces.
“Our forces have not withdrawn from the area,” Kino Gabriel told Rudaw.
The US and Turkish defense minister agreed on August 7 to establish a buffer zone on the Syria-Turkey border and turn it into a peace corridor to house a proportion of the 3.6 million Syrian refugees currently sheltering in Turkey.
However the SDF, the US, and Turkey have been at odds over the length and depth of the safe zone.
Turkey has demanded a 30-40 km deep buffer zone while both the US and Kurdish sides have called for no more than 14 km in depth.
SDF commander Mazloum Abdi recently said the zone should cover all areas under their control.
Turkey considers the YPG to be the Syrian offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which Turkey and its western allies list as a terrorist organization. The YPG has denied any organic links to the PKK but follows the philosophy of its founder, Abdullah Ocalan.
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