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 United States is sending a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East amid escalating tensions with Iran, U.S. media outlets reported on Thursday, 12 February, in an effort to reinforce its naval presence as diplomatic efforts falter.
Europe heads into the Munich Security Conference, on Friday (13 February), amid deepening unease over U.S. policy, as President Donald Trump’s hard-line stance on defence, trade and territory fuels doubts about Washington’s long-term commitment to transatlantic security.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 13th of February, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Egyptian archaeologists have uncovered a major prehistoric site in South Sinai dating back around 10,000 years, revealing layers of human activity carved into rock across millennia. South Sinai is the least populated governorate of Egypt.
Europe heads into the Munich Security Conference, on Friday (13 February), amid deepening unease over U.S. policy, as President Donald Trump’s hard-line stance on defence, trade and territory fuels doubts about Washington’s long-term commitment to transatlantic security.
James Van Der Beek, who rose to fame as Dawson Leery in the hit teen drama Dawson’s Creek, has died aged 48 following a battle with stage 3 colorectal cancer.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister of Israel Trump hosted Netanyahu for closed-door talks focused on negotiations with Tehran, Gaza and wider rBenjamin Netanyahu ended a two-and-a-half-hour meeting at The White House on Wednesday without reaching agreement on how to move forward on Iran.
Türkiye and Greece signalled renewed political will to ease long-standing tensions during high-level talks in Ankara on Wednesday (11 February). Maritime borders, migration and trade topped the agenda as both leaders struck a cautiously optimistic tone.
Stalled U.S.–Iran talks and mounting regional tensions are exposing a growing strategic rift between Washington and Tel Aviv over how to confront Tehran, political analyst James M. Dorsey says, exposing stark differences in approach at a critical moment.
The United States is sending a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East amid escalating tensions with Iran, U.S. media outlets reported on Thursday, 12 February, in an effort to reinforce its naval presence as diplomatic efforts falter.
Kazakhstan’s proposed constitutional changes could improve domestic stability and support its multi-vector foreign policy, a regional analyst says, but concerns remain about leadership changes and economic uncertainty.
Türkiye has detained 16 people in eight provinces on Friday (13 February), including Istanbul and Ankara, in an investigation into alleged money laundering tied to content shared on the platform OnlyFans, seizing assets worth about 300 million lira ($6.9 million), prosecutors said.
Türkiye and Serbia agreed to expand cooperation across defence, foreign policy and economic relations following talks between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and President Aleksandar Vučić in Ankara.
Plans for sweeping constitutional changes in Kazakhstan have sparked controversy, with civil society representatives accusing the authorities of rushing reforms without sufficient transparency or a clear public mandate.
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