Syria battlefield: Türkiye asks US to remove observation posts in the North
The observation posts in northern Syria were built to reduce conflict between the Turkish military and Washington-backed Kurdish forces.
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| Turkish soldiers at a security checkpoint in Afrin, Syria on March 20. Source: THX/TTXVN |
According to the Turkish Ministry of Defense, the country's Defense Minister, Hulusi Akar, made the above proposal on December 7 during a meeting with US special envoy for Syria James Jeffrey.
At the meeting, Ankara officials also asked the US to stop cooperating with the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG).
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, special envoy Jeffrey said the US military observation posts near the Turkish border in northern Syria are aimed at reducing conflict and ensuring regional security, including Turkey.
Earlier, US Defense Secretary James Mattis announced that Washington wanted to build observation posts to help reduce clashes between Turkish forces and Kurdish militia groups that are US allies.
In a related development, on December 7, the US-Türkiye High-Level Working Group said the two sides agreed to accelerate efforts to implement an agreement regarding the situation in the Syrian town of Manbij before the end of 2018.
Earlier this year, the two countries reached a deal on Manbij after months of disagreement, in which YPG members would withdraw completely from the town.
However, Ankara affirmed that the YPG withdrawal has not yet taken place.
In addition, the US and Türkiye also agreed to continue cooperation in planning for many other areas, as mentioned in the roadmap for Manbij./.