Turkey outlined Monday its plans for a 120-kilometre “safe zone” in Syria on the eve of a key withdrawal deadline, as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the West of “standing by terrorists”.
A Turkish military source said Kurdish fighters should initially withdraw from the area between Tal Abyad, captured by Turkish forces at the start of the offensive, and Ras al-Ain, under a US-brokered agreement that expires Tuesday night.
Turkey has warned that if this does not happen it will resume its offensive against the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, which it began after the US announced it was pulling out troops from the area.
Although President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly said Turkey wants a “safe zone” that is 444 kilometres (275 miles) long, the first stage of the plans will only cover a quarter of the distance.
An agreement between the Syrian regime and the Kurdish forces to allow Damascus troops into certain parts of northern Syria appears to have thwarted Ankara s plans for a larger “safe zone”.
“We are following the 120 kilometres first,” the source said Monday.
The source added that the “safe zone” would then be extended to 444 kilometres stretching up to the Iraqi border.
Turkey on October 9 launched a cross-border offensive supporting Syrian rebel groups against the YPG, viewed by Ankara as “terrorists” linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
The PKK has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984, and is listed as a terror group by Turkey and its Western allies.
Ankara s military action against the People s Protection Units (YPG), who spearheaded the fight against the Islamic State (IS) group, has sparked international outrage.
Erdogan has responded defiantly, accusing Western countries on Monday of “standing by terrorists” in failing to support Turkey s operation.
