Debate Rages About the Legality and Feasibility of Buffer Zone on the Turkish-Syrian Border
As the U.S. continues to pressure Turkey to join the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS, Turkey’s foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, has said that establishing a buffer zone in northern Syria would be a conditionfor his country’s participation, the New York Times reports. That has sparked a new debate around the creation of a buffer zone, which could require a no-fly zone to protect it. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said that the idea of a buffer zone was worth looking at “very, very closely,” but the White House and the Pentagon were quick to counter his statement.
President Barack Obama’s spokesman Josh Earnest said “it’s not something that is under consideration right now,” while Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby said the buffer zone is “a topic of continued discussions.”
The New York Times also reports that a buffer zone could become a place where moderate rebels would be trained to fight Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government; in other words, it would be “a fledging rebel state.”
Since the beginning of the conflict in Syria, the U.S. has been vocal in its resistance to creating a no-fly zone, claiming it would be too complicated to set up and patrol. The U.S. has also repeatedly said that it would not commit troops to the entering the conflict.
As Reuters points out all major no-fly zones have had U.N Security Council authorization. But this time, Russian opposition could keep that from happening. Without Russian consent “there will be no U.N. approval. And without U.N. approval Obama will not order the U.S. military to move,” independent aerospace expert Tom Cooper told Reuters.
Yesterday, Russia affirmed its position, saying that there would be no legal basis for any unilateral attempt to set up a buffer zone in Syria.
U.S. Airstrikes Fail to Cripple Khorasan Threat
According to U.S. intelligence officers, the U.S. strikes aimed at crippling the Khorasan group failed to deliver a decisive blow, the AP reports. The group, a subset of al-Qaida, was believed to be plotting attacks on the West.
“The strikes were certainly effective in setting back the Khorasan group, but no one thinks they were a permanent solution or a death blow to the threats that come from this cell,” said Representative Adam Schiff, D-Calif., a member of the House Intelligence Committee.
General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the strikes disrupted the group’s plotting, but he did not know for how long.
According to the AP report, the strikes have only killed one or two of the Khorasan group militants; the rest scattered after the strikes.
Among the survivors is a French-born Jihadi who fought in Afghanistan, who remains a great concern to U.S. intelligence officers.
The group is still believed to be planning attacks against U.S. and Western targets.
Rockets Hit Lebanese Border in New Syria Spillover
Two rockets from Syria hit the Lebanese border town of Brital following clashes last week between Hezbollah and Syrian jihadists, AP reports.
Syria’s war has continuously spilled over Lebanon’s border. ISIS militants fought their way into the town of Arsal in August, capturing and subsequently executing members of the Lebanese army.
Hezbollah’s role in the Syrian conflict has amplified tensions in Lebanon and Syria. Hezbollah’s support has been critical to the political survival of President Bashar al-Assad and his government.
Syrian Regime Air Strikes Kill Dozens Near Damascus
At least 25 people, including four children, were killed in Syrian government air strikes on Irbin, AFP reports. The town is the opposition-controlled eastern Ghouta region, just outside Damascus.
This comes after the Syrian government forces reportedly took control took control of Dakhaniyah, a strategic area outside of Damascus that had been used by rebels to fire mortal shells into the capital, according to state media reports cited by AFP this week.
“The capture follows a string of victories for regime forces in the area around Damascus, where they have retaken several rebel strongholds in recent months,” the wire service said.