The Turkish Defence Ministry has called for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)’s “unconditional compliance” with the 18 January ceasefire agreement between the Kurdish-led militant group and Damascus.
The deal calls for the SDF to disarm and integrate its fighters into Syria’s state military apparatus. It also calls for SDF-held areas in northern Syria to be brought under the control of Syria’s central government.
Speaking at a Thursday press briefing (23 January), Turkish Defence Ministry spokesman Zeki Aktürk also noted that several kilometres of underground tunnels - allegedly used by the SDF - had been destroyed in northern Syria over the past week.
He went on to assert that approximately 93% of the SDF’s total tunnel network in the region had been “successfully destroyed.”
Although it is backed by the United States, Ankara views the SDF as a terrorist group due to its close ties to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which for decades waged a violent insurgency against the Turkish state.
On Thursday, U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye Tom Barrack met with SDF leaders Mazloum Abdi and Ilham Ahmed.
At the meeting, Barrack conveyed Washington’s commitment to “advancing the integration process” in line with the 18 January agreement between the SDF and Damascus.
“All parties agreed that the essential first step is the full upholding of the current ceasefire,” Barrack, who also serves as Washington’s special envoy for Syria, said in a social-media post.
He also called for the implementation of “confidence-building measures on all sides to foster trust and lasting stability.”
In a related development, The Wall Street Journal, citing U.S. officials, reported on Thursday that Washington was mulling a “complete withdrawal” of its troops from Syria after a decade-long military deployment in the country’s northeast.
If carried out, a U.S. withdrawal from northeastern Syria would further isolate the SDF, depriving the Kurdish-led militant group of its most powerful regional ally.
In a Tuesday social-media post, Barrack said the U.S. military presence in northeastern Syria - and its alliance with the SDF - had been “justified primarily as a counter-ISIS partnership.”
“Today, the situation has fundamentally changed,” he added.
“Syria now has an acknowledged central government that has joined the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS … signalling a westward pivot and cooperation with the U.S. on counterterrorism,” Barrack said.
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The leader of an extremist group that carried out so-called "Sharia patrols" targeting people suspected of drinking alcohol in Russia's Kabardino-Balkarian Republic has been sentenced to four years and three months in a penal colony.
The U.S. has announced new visa restrictions targeting individuals it says are undermining peace efforts in Ethiopia, focusing on hardline members of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and their immediate family members amid rising tensions in the country's north.
A Ukrainian drone strike has hit an oil refinery in south-east Moscow for the second time in three days, triggering a major fire, disrupting flights across the Russian capital and highlighting growing vulnerabilities in the country's energy infrastructure.
The United Arab Emirates has introduced a minimum age of 15 for social media use, becoming the first country in the Arab world to impose such a restriction amid growing global concerns about the impact of digital platforms on children.
Donald Trump has said the U.S. will resume bombing Iran if Tehran doesn't "behave," at the sidelines of the G7 summit in France. Earlier, the U.S. President criticised Israel for its tactics against Hezbollah, saying it was unnecessary to bomb entire apartment buildings to tackle militants.
U.S. President Donald Trump sought a deal with Iran "out of deperation," Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has said, in a statment on social media. Khamenei added that he himself "held a different view," to Trump, but allowed the agreement after receiving assurances from Iran's President.
Britain has announced an additional £8 million ($11 million) to help Pakistan combat illegal migration, human trafficking and organised crime, while praising Islamabad's role in diplomacy that helped secure the recent U.S.-Iran agreement.
Lionel Messi matched the all-time World Cup scoring record as Argentina began their title defence with a 3-0 win over Algeria. Austria, France and Norway also secured opening victories in Group J and Group I matches on Tuesday.
Caleb Yirenkyi’s stoppage-time goal secured a 1-0 win for Ghana over Panama as World Cup action delivered a mix of late drama and key results. Colombia and England also began their campaigns with victories, while DR Congo held Portugal in a historic 1-1 draw and Austria beat Jordan 3-1.
The European Parliament has adopted one of its strongest resolutions on Georgia to date, calling for the release of political prisoners, backing sanctions against senior officials and warning that continued democratic decline could jeopardise the country's EU ambitions and visa-free travel regime.
The Caspian Sea has retreated by up to 35 kilometres along Kazakhstan's coastline since 2006, raising fresh concerns about the future of the world's largest inland body of water and the communities, industries and ecosystems that depend on it.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has remotely signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the U.S., brokered by Pakistan, under which Tehran and Washington agreed to extend their ceasefire and begin negotiations towards a peace agreement.
Kazakhstan and Iran have agreed to accelerate cooperation on transport corridors, giving Kazakhstan access to key Iranian ports in a move aimed at strengthening trade routes and reducing reliance on transit routes through neighbouring countries.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that Israeli settler groups could be added to a global blacklist for violations against children if attacks on Palestinian minors continue at current levels.
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