Turkey and U.S. Outline ‘Safe Zone’ in Northern Syria

Turkey and the United States are mulling the creation of a de facto “safe zone” along the Turkey-Syria border, officials from both countries said.

The deal would “significantly increase the scope and pace of the U.S.-led air war against the Islamic State in northern Syria,” the Washington Post and other media reported.

Under the outlines of the plan, the Islamic State would be driven out of a 68-mile-long area west of the Euphrates River all the way to Aleppo province. The safe zone would be allowed to come under the control of the moderate Syrian opposition, the reports said.

The deal, the reports continued, means U.S. aircraft would regularly fly in close proximity to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s air force and likely limit their capacity. However, U.S. officials also said that “any joint military efforts” with Ankara “will not include the imposition of a no-fly zone.”

Notably, it was also suggested that the zone could become a safe haven of sorts for some two million refugees who have fled the country for Turkey.

“When areas in northern Syria are cleared of the [Islamic State] threat, the safe zones will be formed naturally,” Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was quoted as saying on Saturday. “People who have been displaced can be placed in those safe areas.”

Ankara agreed last week to allow armed U.S. aircraft to use its Incirlik base to target Islamic State fighters. Over the past week, Turkish warplanes have struck ISIS targets in retaliation for a suicide bombing in a border town believed to have been carried out by ISIS.

In related news, the Turkish prime minister said the country has no plans to put boots on the ground in Syria – but that the safe zone plan would include providing air cover to moderate rebels in Syria fighting the Islamic State.

“An important point was the air cover for the [rebel] Free Syrian Army and other moderate elements fighting against Daesh [Islamic State],” the Hurriyet newspaper quoted him as telling a round table with Turkish newspaper editors.

In another related development, NATO will hold an extraordinary meeting on Tuesday at Ankara’s request to discuss the escalating conflict.

Turkey invoked Article 4 of the NATO treaty, which allows any of the alliance’s 28 members to request assistance when they consider “their territorial integrity, political independence or security is threatened”.

Assad Admits Army Is Fatigued – But Remains Defiant

Syria’s Bashar al-Assad acknowledged his troops are tired, have lost territory to insurgents and are lacking manpower, but defiantly predicted Damascus would emerge victorious in the conflict.

“We are not collapsing. We are steadfast and will achieve victory. Defeat does not exist in the dictionary of the Syrian Arab Army,” Assad said in his first public address in a year.

However, he conceded that Damascus was no longer able to control large parts of the country – for instance, Idlib – and justified it by saying it was more important to hold onto other areas.

The government lost control of the northwestern province of Idlib in March. Its control is now limited to major areas in the west of the country, including Damascus, Homs, Hama and the Mediterranean coastal region that are the homeland of Assad’s Alawite sect.

“It was necessary to specify critical areas for our armed forces to hang onto,” Assad said. “Concern for our soldiers forces us to let go of some areas.”

He added that the army had “a shortage of manpower” but claimed more recruits were joining the military.

Notably, the government on Saturday announced a general amnesty for army deserters and draft dodgers.

Recommended Reads

• The Wall Street Journal: U.S.-Turkey Deal Paves Way to Set Up Buffer Zone in Northern Syria
• The Jerusalem Post: Terra Incognita: Turkey Doubles Down in Syria and Iraq
• The Washington Post: The Self-government Revolution that’s Happening under the Radar in Syria
• The National Interest: Turkey’s 200-Year War against ‘ISIS’
• Yahoo News: A Good Month for Syria’s Tyrant
• The Guardian: Turkey Sends in Jets as Syria’s Agony Spills over Every Border
• Al Jazeera: Turkey’s War on ISIL Marks Major Policy Shift
• The Telegraph: How One of Syria’s Best-known Resorts Became the Latest Victim of Assad’s Endless War
• The Guardian: Adults Before Their Time, Syria’s Refugee Children Toil in the Fields of Lebanon
• NPR: In Syria, Chlorine Attacks Continue to Take a Toll
• BBC: Saving Christians in Iraq and Syria