Syrian Democratic Forces and U.S. troops are seen during a patrol near Turkish border in Hasakah, Syria November 4, 2018.
Just days after conducting joint patrols with Turkey in Syria’s Manbij, U.S. forces carried out a patrol with the Syrian Democratic Forces near the Turkish border in Syria’s Hasakah.
The SDF is dominated by the YPG militia, which is the armed wing of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), the Syrian offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Photographs captured by Reuters posted on Sunday brought attention to the patrols conducted in Hasakah.
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) terrorists and U.S. troops are seen during a patrol near the Turkish border in Hasakah, Syria on Nov. 4, 2018.US patrols near Turkish border with SDF terrorists
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Turkish and American troops on Thursday began their first round of joint patrols in Manbij, as part of a deal to rid the area of the YPG/PKK terrorist group.
Since June 18, the Turkish Armed Forces have carried out 68 individual patrols in Manbij.
In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the death of 40,000 people, including women and children.
Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and his U.S. counterpart James Mattis spoke over the phone on Friday, and agreed that the combined patrols between the U.S. and Turkish military forces northwest of Manbij "were an important step toward de-escalating tensions along the border and maintaining security and stability in the region."
French prosecutors have issued international arrest warrants for three senior Syrian intelligence and government officials, including security chief Ali Mamlouk, for alleged collusion in war crimes, a defence lawyer and a judicial source said on Monday.Mamlouk, one of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's most senior advisers, was targeted by the order alongside Jamil Hassan, the head of Airforce Intelligence who is already the subject of a German warrant, the sources said.Another senior Airforce Intelligence official, Abdel Salam Mahmoud, was also named in the French order, one of the sources said.The warrants stem from a long-running case involving two French-Syrian nationals who were arrested in Syria in November 2013 and had disappeared since.Russian delegation meets Assad in DamascusDamascus confirmed in August 2018 that the father and son, Mazen and Patrick Abdelkader Dabbagh, were dead, the sources said. They include a lawyer for their family, Clemence Bectarte, who said the warrants were issued in mid-October.Prosecutors in Paris had already opened a probe into the pair's disappearance, starting with a preliminary investigation in 2015, and had found that their house in Damascus had been raided by intelligence officials, the judicial source said.The French warrants bring charges including collusion in torture, forced disappearances, crimes against humanity and war crimes against the Syrian officials.Germany - which has universal jurisdiction over war crimes, meaning it can prosecute and try crimes committes abroad - has also taken similar steps, issuing an arrest warrant in June for Airforce Intelligence official Hassan. Efforts to prosecute members of the Assad government have repeatedly failed because Syria is not a signatory of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague. Russia and China have also vetoed attempts to give the ICC a mandate to set up a special tribunal for Syria.Syrian tribes call for boycott of YPG/PKK in Raqqa
France issues arrest warrants for senior Syrian officials close to Assad
At least 45 terrorists including two so-called senior figures have been neutralized in counter-terrorism operations across Turkey over the past week, the country’s Interior Ministry said Monday.Turkish authorities often use the word "neutralized" in their statements to imply that the terrorists in question either surrendered or were killed or captured.The ministry said in a statement that a total of 2,143 anti-terror operations were conducted between Oct. 29 and Nov. 5.A total of 25 terrorists were killed, 10 were captured, while another 10 terrorists surrendered to Turkish security forces, the statement said.Selim Demiroglu codenamed Firat Celi, who was on the orange category of the Interior Ministry's wanted list and Ilyas Karakoc codenamed Baran, who was being sought on the gray category – were among the neutralized terrorists.The wanted list is divided into five color-coded categories, with red as the most wanted, followed by blue, green, orange and gray.Security forces also arrested 740 people for aiding and abetting terror organizations, 3,698 people for crimes linked to drugs and smuggling and 139 others for human trafficking crimes.In nine provinces, 38 shelters of the terrorist organization and 15 improvised explosives and mines were destroyed, while security forces seized 42 hand grenades, 895 kilograms of explosive materials, 29 guns including long-barreled weapons and 746 rounds of ammunition.In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of nearly 40,000 people, including women and children.As part of anti-narcotics operations, security forces also seized over 6 tons of drugs across the country.Meanwhile, a total of 3,970 irregular migrants were caught during the operations.Erdoğan calls on terrorists to leave Syria's ManbijTurkey may position howitzer batteries in Syria, says defense analystTurkey calls on US to terminate engagement with PYD/YPG
Turkey neutralizes 45 terrorists over past week
Killing of a local tribal leader in alleged armed attack by the terrorist YPG/PKK group has risen tension in Raqqa city of war-torn Syria.Following the assassination of its leader Bashir Faisal al-Huwaidi, members of Sabha tribe on Sunday called for boycott of YPG/PKK, which is held responsible for the attack, in the region.Al-Huwaidi -- known opposed to the terrorist group -- was killed on Saturday in Raqqa.Many other regional tribes have also joined Sabha's condemnation of the attack, announcing their support for the boycott until the culprit is revealed.Refugees from Raqqah want to return to their homelandTurkey calls on US to terminate engagement with PYD/YPGYPK/PKK terror in RaqqaFor the past year, the YPG/PKK has oppressed and terrorized Raqqa’s local population -- as it has in other areas under its control.It has forcibly recruited civilians into its ranks and has prevented many local residents from rebuilding their homes, many of which were destroyed last year by intense coalition airstrikes.The YPG/PKK, however, does not provide any public services, while residents accused of having links with the opposition frequently face arbitrary detention.In a report published last December, the U.K.-based Syrian Network for Human Rights said a total of 2,323 civilians had been killed in Raqqa in the period from November 2016 to October 2017.Erdoğan calls on terrorists to leave Syria's ManbijUN aid trucks reach remote Rukban camp in SyriaTurkey may position howitzer batteries in Syria, says defense analyst
Syrian tribes call for boycott of YPG/PKK in Raqqa