As they have been pretty much since the program was announced, top
Turkish officials on Thursday slammed the ongoing joint Syria safe zone
with the US, accusing the US of not delivering on its promises.
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu warned that if Turkey doesn’t get results soon, they will take matters into their own hands. He indicated that would include moves against the US-backed Kurdish YPG forces.
Defense Minister Hulusi Akar was more frank, saying he had a phone call
with the US and told them that if the US further stalls on the issue, Turkey is prepared to sever all its joint work with them on the matter.
The joint patrols in the safe zone are meant to give Turkey de facto
control over a zone in northern Syria, without an immediate military
confrontation at the Kurds. The US has been very concerned about keeping
the Kurds from facing a fight with Turkey, but Turkish officials say
that all the US promises made just go undelivered, and they are losing
patience.
Turkey Again Complains About Syria Safe Zone, Threatens to Act Unilaterally
Turkish DM threatens to end the program
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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