Joint work to establish a safe zone in northern Syria between Turkey and the U.S. began in Ankara on Tuesday, according to a statement by the Turkish Ministry of National Defense.
“Minister Akar and U.S. Special Syria Representative James Jeffrey agreed to work together in coordination with the two countries’ army officials to establish the planned Safe Zone in northern Syria,” the statement read.
Talks between Turkish and American military officials are slated to continue in the coming days.
The U.S. has supported the PKK/YPG -- the Syria branch of the terrorist PKK, which has killed thousands of innocents in Turkey -- supposedly to fight Daesh, leading to friction between Washington and Ankara.
On Monday, Defense Minister Akar reiterated that Turkey’s fight in the region is not against a specific ethno-religious group like Kurds or Arabs but against terrorists of the PKK/YPG and Daesh, and the conditions for Syrian refugees’ return must be created.
Since 2016, Turkey has conducted two major military operations in northwestern Syria -- Operations Euphrates Shield and Olive Branch -- to purge the region of terrorist groups, most notably the PKK/YPG, the Syrian branch of the terrorist PKK.
