Syria
The aftermath of a Turkish strike on the Babasi oil facility in the countryside of al-Qahtaniya in Syria's Kurdish-controlled northeastern Hasaka province on October 6, 2023. Delil Souleiman/AFP
Washington DC - The US position on the situation in northeast Syria (Rojava) "has not changed," a US State Department spokesperson told Rudaw, adding that the US calls on Turkey and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to de-escalate violence and enhance stability in Syria.
‘’Our position has not changed. We continue to support the current ceasefire lines and call for de-escalation of violence," a US State Department spokesperson told Rudaw via email, adding that ‘’It is crucial for all sides to maintain and respect ceasefire zones and to de-escalate violent activity to enhance stability in Syria and work toward a political solution to the conflict."
According to the northeast Syria NGO Forum’s latest report on the situation in the area, ‘’From January 13-16, 2024, 40 verified strikes were conducted across Northeast Syria. At least six civilians have been injured in this escalation alone, while at least 26 critical infrastructure sites are either severely damaged or out of service.’’
The Kurdish-led SDF blasted Ankara for the “crimes” of targeting Rojava’s infrastructure, stressing that the livelihoods of civilians in the region are being exposed to danger.
In a statement earlier this month, the SDF noted that “the Turkish occupation has targeted key energy and electricity facilities, as well as grain storage warehouses and silos and firefighting crews, using warplanes and drones. These aggressions have extended to the homes of civilians, their farms, and sources of their daily sustenance.”
"The United States remains very concerned about military activity in northern Syria, its impact on the civilian population and infrastructure, and the impact of the effectiveness of our operations to ensure the lasting defeat of ISIS," said the US State Department spokesperson.
Around 2,500 American troops in Iraq and 900 in Syria are leading an international coalition through Operation Inherent Resolve that has assisted Kurdish, Iraqi, and local Syrian forces in the fight against ISIS, which once held swathes of land in Iraq and Syria but was declared territorially defeated in 2017 and 2019 respectively.
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