Precarious situation in the north
Blinken: IS in Syria must continue to be fought
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara and spoke with him about the current situation in Syria. Blinken reiterated that civilians must be protected, said his spokesman (see video above).
Kronen Zeitung als bevorzugte Google-Quelle hinzufügen The Turkish government had expressed security concerns. In Syria, Turkish troops are fighting against Kurdish-led forces, which in turn are supported by the US government - as important players in the fight against the jihadist militia Islamic State (IS). This has led to diplomatic disagreements with Erdogan's government. According to Erdogan, the Kurdish forces are an extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is classified as a terrorist organization and banned in Turkey.
Fight against IS "important task"
Blinken told Erdogan on Thursday that it must be ensured that the "coalition to fight IS can continue to fulfill its important task". "At the same time, we want to avoid triggering additional conflicts in Syria. This also includes ensuring that IS does not re-emerge. And crucial to ensuring that this does not happen are the so-called SDF, the Syrian Democratic Forces (...)," Blinken explained.
Erdogan also wants to fight against IS, as well as against the Kurdish militia YPG. The YPG currently controls areas in northern Syria, but the Syrian National Army is advancing and recently took control of the city of Manbij.
Erdogan wants corridor
IS declared a "caliphate" in 2014 and ruled areas in Iraq and Syria for five years. A broad international coalition fought back the terrorist militia. Kurdish militias are involved in fighting the jihadists. Erdogan repeatedly talks about the goal of establishing a corridor extending 30 kilometers from the Turkish border into Syria.
As reported, the Islamic group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and militias allied with it captured the Syrian capital Damascus on Sunday and overthrew the ruling dictator Assad. A transitional government led by Islamists then took power.
Ankara said it had no control over the HTS group, but made it clear to them that it hoped for a peaceful transition and a new, inclusive Syria.
This article has been automatically translated,
read the original article here.
Da dieser Artikel älter als 18 Monate ist, ist zum jetzigen Zeitpunkt kein Kommentieren mehr möglich.
Wir laden Sie ein, bei einer aktuelleren themenrelevanten Story mitzudiskutieren: Themenübersicht.
Bei Fragen können Sie sich gern an das Community-Team per Mail an forum@krone.at wenden.