Turkey, Russia broker deal on further withdrawal of Kurdish YPG

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a joint news conference with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Tuesday that the two leaders had agreed to a further withdrawal of Syrian Kurdish YPG fighters 30 kilometers (18 miles) away from the border region within 150 hours.

A US-brokered five-day ceasefire is currently in effect to allow the Kurds to pull back from a border area after Turkey’s incursion into northeastern Syria. Earlier on Tuesday, the YPG had completed its obligations for this deal. They have not yet confirmed if they will adhere to the Russian-Turkish agreement to pull back further.

Erdogan said that this would allow for Turkish troops to destroy Kurish fortifications and camps.

Turkey and Russia also announced that they would carry out joint patrols of the Turkey-Syria border area, as Moscow aims to become a stronger power broker in the Middle East.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov hailed the deal, saying it would end the bloodshed in the region. He added that Erdogan agreed to the “importance of territorial integrity in Syria.”

176,000 displaced

Moscow has long been an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whose forces have entered Kurdish-held Syria for the first time in years after the United States pulled out its troops, allowing the Turkish incursion and prompting the YPG-led Syrian Defense Forces (SDF) to call on their former foe for backup.

Two weeks ago, US President Donald Trump announced the surprise withdrawal of US forces from Kurdish Syria, effectively abandoning a key ally in the fight against “Islamic State” (IS) terrorists. The US decision enabled Turkey to fulfill Erdogan’s long-held desire to fight the Kurds, as some armed Kurdish groups have waged an on-and-off insurgency in Turkey.

The Turkish offensive into northeastern Syria has already displaced 176,000 people, the UN said on Tuesday. Having to turn their attention to Turkish troops has also prompted the SDF to abandon guarding IS prisoners, allowing hundreds of IS fighters and their families to escape.

es/ng (AP, Reuters, AFP)

Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/turkey-russia-broker-deal-on-further-withdrawal-of-kurdish-ypg/a-50940033?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf