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Turkey and the United States have completed preparations for joint patrols in northern Syria’s Manbij area, a Pentagon spokesman said Monday.
The patrols are part of a roadmap between Turkey and the U.S. that focuses on the withdrawal of forces of the PKK’s Syrian affiliate YPG to stabilize the city, which is in Aleppo province.
"Mission rehearsals and interoperability training for combined patrols outside Manbij city are complete," said Cmdr. Sean Robertson. "Both forces are resetting in order to begin combined patrols."
Without providing an exact date, Robertson said the rehearsals were grounded in synchronizing Turkish and American forces' ability to conduct patrols outside of Manbij.
"The mission rehearsals address safety and familiarizations with combined tactical operations," he said.
The training program included rehearsals of mounted patrol operations, weapons training, IED procedures, vehicle recovery, stabilizing traffic control points and situation de-escalation exercises.
Another spokesperson for the Pentagon, Lieutenant Colonel Kone Faulkner, said the patrols "should be in shortly."
A defense official, who asked not to be named, told Anadolu Agency that the patrols are expected to begin in "a couple of days" or in "less than a week".
Political experts in Turkey have viewed as a "diplomatic success" the four-nation summit on Syria held in Istanbul.The summit, hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, was held on Saturday.Speaking to Anadolu Agency, the experts emphasized it was “significant” to take Germany and France onboard to the Sochi agreement signed by Turkey and Russia in September.Mesut Hakki Casin, a member of Presidential Security Foreign Policy Committee and head of International Relations Department at the Istinye University, said Turkey was perceived as if it had lost its position from the negotiation role on Syria following the July 15th coup attempt."On the contrary, Turkey took initiative and responsibility. The rescue of four million human lives is an evidence. While protecting four million people within its borders, Turkey continues to guard four million vulnerable people abroad. If the region is not cleared of heavy weaponry and radical groups, the [military] intervention that Putin hinted during the summit might occur. In this context, the Turkish military presence there carries great risks,” Casin said."The most important political decision taken in the summit is to initiate the constitutional process in Syria. It is also noteworthy that all four nations agreed on a political transition instead of military options amid the normalization period," he said.He went on to say that another important development of the summit was Syria's territorial integrity and sovereignty. "The fact that the U.S. controls 25% of the Syrian soil and arms PKK/YPG along with Israel excludes the U.S. from this process," he added.Four-nation summit in Istanbul aims to end Syria bloodshedChemical weapons"One of the other important points tackled was chemical weapons. I believe that France and the U.S. will re-strike Syria if chemical weapons were used again," Casin said.Noting that the door leading to Geneva was cracked for the U.S. and Iran, Casin said that this was visible in the messages France and Germany delivered.Casin underlined that Russian President Putin thanked Turkey for its efforts on clearing heavy weaponry in Idlib."However, Putin said that they [Russia] would take side with the regime in case of an attack, indicating that the radical groups didn't lay down heavy weapons and there will be an uncertainty on weapon usage if Russian soldiers are attacked," he said."It is important that all parties are committed to the fight against terror and cooperate in intelligence and defense issues. By the way, France and Germany asked Russia to force Assad for peace while Russia demanded money for reconstructing Syria. I believe Europe will provide funding if there is a normalization in Syria," he said.Turkey drew attention to the east of the Euphrates, which was a direct message to the U.S. Erdogan's Wednesday statement regarding an operation in Eastern Euphrates was Turkey's final say. Turkey implied that it would "enter Manbij just like it entered Afrin."Ufuk University's Prof. Dr. Sencer Imer, the head of the Political Science and International Relations Department, said that the summit assured that the truce in Idlib would be maintained, a possible refugee influx was prevented and terror movement was averted.German media covers Istanbul summit on Syria widelyPermanent cease-fire in Idlib"It is important that all four leaders took a joint decision on the issue of a permanent cease-fire in Idlib. Turkey has clearly expressed that there was a terror threat in most parts of Syria and not just in Idlib. In particular, President Erdogan pointed out that PKK/YPG was still present in northern Syria, or east of Euphrates, posing a threat to Turkey. And, the other leaders raised no objections on this matter," Imer said."France and Germany didn't have any objections which indicates that Turkish policies on the eastern Euphrates were acknowledged by other leaders. Hence, it is now a necessity for the U.S. to change policies in the region. This is a significant development," he said.About the joint decision on establishing a new constitutional commission in Syria, Imer said: "Achieving peace in Syria will only be possible after a new constitution was regulated... Also, we see that the cooperation process that started in Sochi between Turkey, Russia and Iran has reached a new platform following France and Germany's participation [to the 4-nation summit].”Imer stated that the summit has prepared the ground for a structure that the U.S. and other powers would endorse.Recalling Erdogan's remarks in which he said Turkey would continue to eliminate elements posing threat to Turkish national security, he said: "It is important that a new conflict-zone doesn't emerge in the world. The world is face-to-face with a nuclear threat. In this respect, for global peace, it is of great importance that the peace in Syria is assured [...] In such an environment where tension escalates, President Erdogan's hint was worthy," he said.On President Erdogan's statements on informing Iran about the decision hammered in the summit, he said: "This meeting held in Turkey has important and historical reflections on Syria, Turkish borders and the future of the region. This process must absolutely continue. Of course, countries such as the U.S., Iran, Syria, and Iraq should be included in the negotiations somehow.”Istanbul summit on Syria dominates Arab, Iranian media
Political experts applaud Istanbul summit on Syria
The Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) on Sunday bombed positions belonging to terrorists of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)’s Syrian affiliate, the YPG, on the eastern shore of the Euphrates River in Syria.Artillery shells were fired at the YPG-occupied Zour Magyar to the west of northern Syria's Ayn al-Arab region and was aimed at preventing terrorist activities.The move comes two days after President Erdoğan issued what he said was a "final warning" to those who would endanger Turkey's borders, saying Ankara was determined to focus its attention on YPG terrorists east of the Euphrates.The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union and the United States. The PKK has been conducting armed violence in the southeastern part of Turkey since 1984. More than 40,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the three-decade long conflict.Turkish forces ‘neutralize’ 12 PKK terrorists in a weekTurkey neutralizes some 14,700 terrorists over three years
Turkish forces shell PKK terrorist positions east of Euphrates in Syria