Washington is working with Turkey on “a safe zone of some length along the Turkish border,” and the zone would have no YPG/PKK forces, the US Special Representative for Syria Engagement said Monday.
THERE WILL BE NO TERROR FORCES
“We’re looking for a solution that would meet everyone’s needs,” James Jeffrey, who also serves as the special envoy for the anti-Daesh coalition, said at a news conference at the State Department. “We’re working with Turkey to have a safe zone of some length along the Turkish border where there would be no YPG forces because Turkey feels very nervous about the YPG and their ties to the PKK., “ he said.
Last month, the Pentagon announced that a few hundred troops would remain in Syria after the US pullout in order to create a safe zone along the Turkey-Syria border. Sean Robertson, a Pentagon spokesman, said the troops would be part of a multinational force.
Jeffrey said that the ultimate goal of the US in Syria was the defeat of the Daesh terrorist group. “The mission is to defeat ISIS, not to operate in any safe zone,” he added, using another name for Daesh. Jeffrey also mentioned that the US still does not know the whereabouts of Daesh leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. “No, we don’t know where Baghdadi is, and finding the top leadership of ISIS or other terrorist groups is always a priority,” said Jeffrey.