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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Kyrgyzstan has signed a series of cooperation agreements with China and Belarus at the Fifth Forum of Regional Leaders of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states, underlining the country's growing economic engagement within the regional bloc.
A group of Azerbaijani civil society organisations has called for increased scrutiny of Swiss building materials giant Holcim, citing court rulings and ongoing investigations linked to its subsidiary Lafarge's activities during the Syrian conflict.
The Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo is "outpacing containment efforts" amid conflict, weak disease surveillance and limited access to healthcare, according to London-based pharmacist and health commentator Thorrun Govind.
Kazakhstan has reiterated that no existing route can replace the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), which carries more than 80% of the country's crude oil exports through Russia to the Black Sea.
The U.S. and Iran have reportedly reached a preliminary 60-day ceasefire and nuclear talks deal, pending Donald Trump’s approval, Axios reports. Meanwhile, the GCC condemned Iran’s missile strike on a U.S. airbase in Kuwait, which Tehran said was retaliation for a U.S. strike near Bandar Abbas.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says ongoing conflict, funding pressures and international travel restrictions are complicating efforts to contain a fast-growing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Bolivia’s President Rodrigo Paz has taken steps towards potentially declaring a state of emergency as anti-government protests intensify in the early months of his administration.
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Kazakhstan on Wednesday for a three-day state visit focused on energy, transport and economic cooperation with one of Moscow’s closest regional partners.
Russia and Kazakhstan signed 15 agreements during President Vladimir Putin’s state visit to Astana on Thursday (28 May), including deals on Kazakhstan’s first nuclear power plant and expanded oil cooperation with Russia.
Kyrgyzstan has signed a series of cooperation agreements with China and Belarus at the Fifth Forum of Regional Leaders of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states, underlining the country's growing economic engagement within the regional bloc.
A group of Azerbaijani civil society organisations has called for increased scrutiny of Swiss building materials giant Holcim, citing court rulings and ongoing investigations linked to its subsidiary Lafarge's activities during the Syrian conflict.
Kazakhstan has reiterated that no existing route can replace the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), which carries more than 80% of the country's crude oil exports through Russia to the Black Sea.
Russia and Kazakhstan signed 15 agreements during President Vladimir Putin’s state visit to Astana on Thursday (28 May), including deals on Kazakhstan’s first nuclear power plant and expanded oil cooperation with Russia.
Senior U.S. State Department officials spent three days in Georgia meeting ministers, opposition figures and Church leaders as Washington intensifies its strategic engagement across the South Caucasus.
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