Image copyright (AFP) AFP Syrian government forces have started to reach the north of the country, hours after the government agreed to help Kurdish forces facing Turkey.
Syrian state media say government forces entered Ain Issa on Monday, (km) 19 miles) south of the Turkish border.
The deal came after the US, the Kurds’ main ally, said it would withdraw its remaining troops from northern Syria.
Turkey began an offensive in the region last week, aiming to push Kurdish forces from the border region.
Areas under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) came under heavy bombardment over the weekend, with Turkey making gains in two key border towns.
Dozens of civilians and fighters have been killed on both sides.
The US announced on Sunday it was preparing to evacuate its 1, 000
The Turkish offensive and US withdrawal have drawn an international outcry, as the SDF were the main allies of the West in the battle against the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria.
There have been fears about a possible resurgence of the group amid the instability. On SundayKurdish officials said nearly 800 relatives of foreign IS members had escaped from a camp in Ain Issa, where the Syrian army reportedly has now reached.
Turkey views elements of the Kurdish groups as terrorists and says it wants to drive them away from a “safe zone” reaching 32 km into Syria.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hopes to resettle up to two million Syrian refugees currently in Turkey within the zone. Many of them are not Kurds and critics have warned this could lead to ethnic cleansing of the local Kurdish population.
What do we know about the deal?
The Kurdish-led administration in northern Syria announced it had reached an agreement on Sunday.
The agreement allows the army to deploy along border areas controlled by Kurdish forces. They will not, for now, be deployed between Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ain where Turkey have focused their efforts.
This deployment, it said, would assist the SDF “to repel this aggression and liberate the areas entered by the Turkish army and
Kurdish-led authorities also insist they will remain in charge politically and retain order in the area. ***********
By Monday Syrian state media said they reached the Kurdish-held town of Tal Tamer, 50 km from the border, before announcing they had then entered Ain Issa.
Sunday’s deal represents a significant shift in alliances for the Kurds.
Despite suffering decades of suppression, Syria’s main Kurdish parties publicly avoided taking sides when the country descended into civil war in 2011. When forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad withdrew from mainly Kurdish areas to fight rebels elsewhere the following year, Kurdish militias took control.
In 2015 they became critical partners on the ground of the US-led multinational coalition against IS. With the help of US airpower and weaponry, the Kurds drove the jihadist group out of more than a quarter of Syria and declared the creation of a “federal system” to govern it. While the Syrian government rejected the declaration and the intervention of the US, which supported the uprising against Mr Assad, it has not sought to retake the territory.
The biggest Kurdish party has said it is not seeking independence, but insists that any political settlement to end Syria’s civil war includes guarantees for Kurdish rights and recognition of their autonomy. The Syrian government has rejected the Kurdish demands for autonomy.
What is the US position now?
The deal follows US President Donald Trump’s surprise move last week to pull dozens of troops from pockets in the north -east, effectively paving the way for the Turkish operation against the Kurdish fighters.
At the time, the SDF called the move “a stab in the back”.
On SundayUS Defense Secretary Mark Esper announced the Pentagon was moving up to 1, 000 troopsaway from the north after learning that Turkey was pushing further into Syria than previously expected.
He described the situation as “untenable” and cited fears US forces would end up stuck between “two opposing advancing armies”.
Media playback is unsupported on your device
President Trump tweeted that it was “very smart” not to be involved in the fighting “for a change”, saying engagement in Middle East conflicts was a mistake.
On Monday he doubled down and suggested Kurdish forces could have been released IS forces on purpose to incite US involvement in the conflict.
What has Turkey seized so far?
Turkey has been pushing deeper into northern Syria since last week.
On Sunday, President Erdogan said his forces had already captured (sq km) 42 square miles) of territory, including 21 Villages.
They have focused their efforts on seizing the two key towns of Ras al-Ain and Tal Abyad.
Media playback is unsupported on your device
On Monday Mr Erdogan described the US withdrawal as “positive “and said he expected the SDF to withdraw from other key towns.
He also insisted that he did not expect problems with Russia, while hitting out at Western nations who had criticized the operation.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and his German counterpart, Heiko Maas, are among those calling for an EU-wide arms embargo against Ankara.
EU foreign ministers are meeting in Luxemburg on Monday.
Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has described the situation being a “great concern” which risks “further destabilizing the region”.
“An imminent concern is that captured terrorists must not be allowed to escape,” he said on Monday.
“The international community must find a coordinated and sustainable solution to deal with foreign fighters held in Syria.”
What is the situation on ground?
Civilians have been killed on both sides of the border.
- More than 50 civilians and over 100 Kurdish fighters killed in north-eastern Syria, the UK-based Syrian Observatory of Human Rights (SOHR) says
- The SDF says the Kurdish forces’ death toll is 56 and Turkey gives a higher figure of 440
- Eighteen civilians killed in southern Turkey, according to Turkish reports
- Four Turkish soldiers and 16 pro -Turkish Syrian fighters killed in Syria, Turkey says
Media playback is unsupported on your device
The UN humanitarian agency OCHA says up to 160 , 000 civilians are now on the move and it expects the number to rise.
The fighting has also spilled over to areas close to IS detainee camps.
Fears that Kurdish forces will be unable to keep IS prisoners confined appeared to have been realized when officials at the Ain Issa camp said nearly 800 relatives of foreign IS members had escaped on Sunday.
The camp holds about 12, 000 displaced people, previously including nearly 1, 000 foreign women and children with jihadist links.
Turkey has said it will take responsibility for IS prisoners it finds during its offensive.
Media playback is unsupported on your device
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings