The Syrian government has issued a statement Thursday
condemning the agreement between the US and Turkey on a buffer zone in
northeastern Syria the day before, saying it amounted to a “blatant
attack” on Syria’s sovereignty.
The US reached the deal with Turkey to try to keep Turkey from invading
Kurdish territory, and did so by carving out a lot of Kurdish-held
Syrian territory into a “buffer zone” which is meant to allow Turkey to
send refugees back.
The establishment of a command center for the buffer zone suggests it is
being put under direct US and Turkish joint control. That’s a problem
for Syria, because it’s Syrian territory, and they’re entirely cut out
of the plan.
Syrian officials say they believe the move is aggression, and a threat
to Syria restoring “peace and stability” in the area, which they were
ultimately likely to do with the Kurds, who will lose at least this part
of their territory.
Syria: Agreement Between US, Turkey a Violation of Syrian Sovereignty
Carving out buffer zone is a threat to stability
Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.
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