To protect the Kurds, the US established a demilitarized zone with Turkey.
In the face of a series of Turkish military escalations against Kurdish forces in the Aleppo region of northern Syria, Washington has begun to issue harsher warnings to Ankara.
On November 1, US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Robert Palladino said the US is particularly concerned about Türkiye's unilateral military actions.
"Türkiye's unilateral military offensive in northwestern Syria is a risky move. What is more troubling to us is that Turkish artillery has flown very close to US bases in the region," Palladino said.
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Turkish military convoy near Kurdish-controlled Euphrates region |
"The US military is present in Syria to fight terrorism, and we do not want our soldiers to suffer unnecessary losses due to dangerous and unilateral actions from any faction," commented the US State Department's deputy spokesman.
In addition, Mr. Palladino said that what Ankara is doing is no different from supporting IS terrorists, because the Kurds and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have withdrawn their forces to focus on dealing with the Turkish army, instead of deploying anti-IS campaigns as previously planned.
The diplomat added that to avoid unnecessary conflicts, the US and Turkish militaries have conducted joint patrols. But with what is happening in Northern Syria, Washington believes that it is necessary to promote a ceasefire agreement between Türkiye and the Kurds with the US military monitoring the situation.
"Perhaps a demilitarized zone with ceasefire agreements is appropriate at this time. IS is growing stronger, and the priority of the international coalition at this time is to fight terrorism, instead of trying to sabotage the previous achievements of the coalition," Mr. Palladino shared.
In addition, Washington also reiterated that the US will support the SDF forces along with the Kurds in Syria as committed. "There will be no change in the promises that the US military has made to the progressive democratic forces in Syria."