Turkey said on Wednesday there was “no need” to restart its offensive against Kurdish fighters in Syria, saying that it had been informed by the US that their withdrawal from the border areas had been “completed”.
#BREAKING: Turkey ceasing Operation Peace Spring, citing that Kurdish forces have withdrawn from designated safe zones. No need to extend or start a new operation at this time.
— GMI (@Global_Mil_Info) October 22, 2019
“At this stage, there is no further need to carry out a new operation,” the defence ministry said in a statement. A US-brokered deal had set a 120-hour deadline for Kurdish fighters’ pullout from a proposed safe zone, which expired at 1900 GMT.
Turkey has agreed to “pause” its miliary action in Syria launched on October 9 on the condition that Kurdish forces withdrew from an initial 120-kilometre area from the border, following a deal with US Vice President Mike Pense last Thursday.
Tuesday’s agreement with Moscow will see it preserve that zone between the towns of Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ain, giving Ankara a crucial presence inside the country.
Turkey has, however, repeatedly threatened to restart its offensive, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowing to “crush the heads” of Syrian Kurdish forces if they failed to retreat.
“At the end of the 120-hour period, the United States announced that withdrawal of PKK/YPG from the area has been completed,” the Turkish defence ministry said.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in a phone call with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu Wednesday, also confirmed that US military officials informed their Turkish counterparts Kurdish forces withdrew from the safe zone, a Turkish diplomatic source said.
Read more: Syrian Offensive: Turkey Doesn’t know Which Way to Go Now
The announcement comes shortly after Erdogan hailed a “historic” agreement with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to push back Syrian Kurdish fighters from its border areas.
Interesting @ruptly video. Sochi earlier today.
Erdogan so eager to talk Syria with Putin that he takes out Syria map while media is still in room.
Putin points finger, makes some remark.
Erdogan covers Syria map with red file. Watch this. 👇@akhbar pic.twitter.com/xSiVmY4x9A
— Jenan Moussa (@jenanmoussa) October 22, 2019
Turkey has seized control of a “safe zone” inside Syria about 120 kilometres long (75 miles) and 32 kilometres (20 miles) deep, after it launched Operation Peace Spring on October 9.
Tuesday’s agreement with Moscow will see it preserve that zone between the towns of Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ain, giving Ankara a crucial presence inside the country.
Read more: Qatar backs Turkey’s Military Operation in Syria despite Opposition from US
Under the agreement reached in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, “joint activities will start with the Russian Federation from Wednesday,” the Turkish defence ministry said, adding that the deal with Moscow was “upholding Turkey’s border security”.
From noon (0900 GMT) on Wednesday, Russian military police and Syrian border guards will “facilitate the removal” of Kurdish fighters and their weapons from within 30 kilometres of the border.
AFP with additional input by GVS News Desk.