Speaking today at an anti-ISIS coalition meeting, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson confirmed previous comments by President Trump that the US intends to set up “safe zones” in northern Syria “to allow refugees to return home.”
As has been the case in the past, Tillerson’s comments did not offer much in the way of details on how the US intends to make this happen, though he did offer the idea that the US would establish “interim zones of stability, through ceasefires.”
There were no details on exactly where these safe zones would be located, but one would have to assume that the territory occupied by Turkey in northern Aleppo Province would house at least some of the zones, and that it is unlikely the Idlib Province, which is torn by fighting among various rebels, would have any.
Turkey has been calling for the safe zones for years, and has envisioned them being used as a base of operation for pro-Turkey rebels to operate out of without fear of being retaliated against militarily. Turkey’s presumptive involvement in the effort likely also means no zones will be in Kurdish territory, though there are not so many refugees in the area around Syrian Kurdistan as there are further west.
The coalition meeting emphasized the goal of destroying ISIS, while Tillerson emphasized that there would be no “nation-building” afterwards in either Iraq or Syria, though he reiterated that US troops would remain in Iraq after the war.
Coalition military officials denied that any orders have been given to them so far to establish safe zones or “any kind of zones” at all. Though Turkey now controls territory that could be used for such zones, it is likely the US would be expected to deploy a lot of troops to secure those areas.
Another “coalition of the killing”, just as H. Clinton suggested and for which she was rightly criticized.
If U.S. forces can completely secure Raqqa Governate yet leave the city IS-held, they could establish their ‘safe zones’ there and have a pretext to remain. They would control Tabqa dam and most of Lake Assad.
Lift economic sanctions and provide aid to Syria to make the place livable and Syrians will return their by themselves. Lack of military is not the issue.
1. Govt areas are already safe.
2. Kurdish areas are already safe.
3. Even Jarabulus land is already safe.
Only ISIS and Idlib the Al Qaeda sanctuary is subject to further attack.
Safe for whom and against whom?
Cease fire zones and safe zones are two very different ideas.
The US has wanted one, Turkey has wanted the other.
Russian has opposed any zone used to break up Syrian sovereignty or to give a terrorist refuge from which to stage war on the rest of Syria. However bad Putin and Assad, this is actually a reasonable position.
It is also likely to prevent either the American or Turkish idea, since both really mean to continue the war. They could solve the problem by ending the war, making the whole country a cease fire zone without need of safe guard forces. They don’t want that.
The key question around ‘safe zones’ in recent history has been air superiority, in other words US fighters shooting down anyone attempting to bomb in a “safe zone.” Syria or Russia would be doing that bombing, and have a variety of advanced SAM batteries deployed in range. “Safe zones” really means the US providing air support to Al Qaeda affiliates. This would violate Syria’s airspace, support terrorists in the name of stopping them, and potentially start WWIII.
The Golan Heights would make a great safe zone for Syrian refugees.
The Golan Heights is currently being used as the fake terrorist group Al-Qaeda’s jihad launching pad to maim & murder Syria’s Christians, Alawites, Shias, Sunnis, Kurds, Druzes, and all the other various minority groups that secular Syria comprises. Al-Qaeda get Israeli Top Cover as well as medical treatment, its there “safe haven” and every time the SAA, or Hezbollah try and exterminate the terrorists, Israel attacks them! Incredible but true. The zio-masonic state is not our friend
Syria did not invite the US in, so thus this is illegal, and I believe after Trump meet with Clean Breaker Nutanyahoo, which the former furniture salesman turned nuclear messiah Nutan came away happy, I would agree with a former AW article which stated that the US forces were really going after Iran, not the fake terrorist group ISIS, in the illegal invasion of Syria (and it could also be to block Turkey from annilihating the Kurds and taking more terroritory)
Why is Tillerson pretending to be the Secretary of War?