As tensions between Damascus and Ankara escalate, informed sources say the Syrian army is increasing its presence in northern Syria as separatist Kurdish forces withdraw under ongoing Russian-coordinated talks between the two sides.
Faraan: Citing sources close to the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Syria’s Al-Watan newspaper reported that Russian forces raised the level of coordination between the Syrian army and the SDF militants with the aim of enabling the Syrian army to expand their presence in the city of Tabqa and the northern countryside of Raqqah.
The sources revealed that Russian officers coordinated a meeting on Wednesday between officers of the Syrian army and leaders of the SDF in the building of the self-proclaimed “defense ministry” of the militant group in the city. They said the meeting focused on enabling the Syrian army to be stationed in those areas as the SDF militants withdraw. The development comes against the backdrop of Ankara’s constant threats to launch a massive military operation against Kurdish militants in northern Syria to establish what it calls a “secure line” along Turkey’s border with the Arab country.
On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan once again hinted at his plan for a cross-border operation in Syria to remove members of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) militant group, which is the backbone of the SDF. “We will continue our fight against terrorism. Our decision to establish a 30-kilometer-deep (18.6-mile) secure line along our southern border is final,” Erdogan claimed. At a civilian has been killed and several others were injured after Turkish military forces shelled a number of villages in Syria’s northeastern province of Hasakah.
Turkey has launched successive military incursions into Syria and deployed its forces in the Arab country to crush Kurdish militants. Ankara-backed militants were deployed to northeastern Syria in October 2019 after Turkish military forces launched a cross-border invasion in a declared attempt to push YPG fighters away from border areas. Ankara views the YPG as a terrorist organization tied to the homegrown Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been seeking an autonomous Kurdish region in Turkey since 1984.
