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.
Health authorities are monitoring a widening hantavirus alert after new suspected cases emerged in Spain and on a remote South Atlantic island, day...
Russia is holding a significantly scaled-back Victory Day parade in Moscow on 9 May 2026, reflecting heightened security concerns and the ongoing w...
Efforts to end the U.S.-Iran war appeared to stall as the two sides exchanged fire in and around the Strait of Hormuz. A rep...
Somalia is facing a severe malnutrition crisis and urgently needs additional humanit...
A Kyrgyz–Japanese archaeological expedition has uncovered the remains of a Buddhist temple complex at the medieval settlement of Ak-Beshim, a...
Health authorities are monitoring a widening hantavirus alert after new suspected cases emerged in Spain and on a remote South Atlantic island, days after an outbreak on a cruise ship left three people dead and several others infected.
Russia is holding a significantly scaled-back Victory Day parade in Moscow on 9 May 2026, reflecting heightened security concerns and the ongoing war in Ukraine, now in its fourth year.
Efforts to end the U.S.-Iran war appeared to stall as the two sides exchanged fire in and around the Strait of Hormuz. A reported CIA assessment suggested Tehran could withstand a U.S. naval blockade for months despite mounting sanctions and renewed Gulf attacks.
Somalia is facing a severe malnutrition crisis and urgently needs additional humanitarian funding to prevent conditions deteriorating further, the World Food Programme has warned.
The U.S military said it carried out retaliatory strikes on Iran on Thursday (7 May). Meanwhile, Iran's Joint Military Command accused the U.S. of breaching the ceasefire, by striking an Iranian oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz and launching attacks on several Iranian cities.
The U.S. and Iran exchanged fire in and around the Strait of Hormuz, though both sides signalled they did not want escalation. The clashes come as Washington awaits Tehran’s response to a proposed deal to end the war while leaving key disputes, such as Iran’s nuclear programme, unresolved for now.
Singapore has isolated and is testing two of its residents who travelled aboard a cruise ship linked to a deadly hantavirus outbreak, the Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA) said on Thursday.
Efforts to end the U.S.-Iran war appeared to stall as the two sides exchanged fire in and around the Strait of Hormuz. A reported CIA assessment suggested Tehran could withstand a U.S. naval blockade for months despite mounting sanctions and renewed Gulf attacks.
Ukraine’s military said it struck a Russian Karakurt-class small missile carrier in the Caspian Sea near Russia’s Dagestan region on Thursday. The extent of the damage is still being assessed, according to Kyiv.
A Kyrgyz–Japanese archaeological expedition has uncovered the remains of a Buddhist temple complex at the medieval settlement of Ak-Beshim, also known as Suyab, in Kyrgyzstan’s Chui Region.
A memorandum of understanding has been signed between Baku State University (BSU) and the international television channel AnewZ, marking a new stage of cooperation in journalism education and media development.
The 19th Azerbaijan International Agricultural Exhibition and Forum, Caspian Agro Week, and the 31st InterFood Azerbaijan have opened in Baku, bringing together global industry leaders, policymakers and investors to showcase innovations in agriculture and food production.
Minval Politika has released new footage it says shows former International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo discussing alleged contacts with Armenia’s foreign minister and campaigns linked to Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Azerbaijan says political pressure and what it describes as biased rhetoric from some European institutions are complicating peace efforts with Armenia and undermining neutrality in the negotiations.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment