Kurdish YPG Militia to Disarm after Peace Returns to Syria: Spokesman

The Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) will lay down their arms only after peace returns to Syria, the militia’s spokesman Nuri Mahmud said. Mahmud argued that the weapons supplied by the United States were used to combat terrorists, according to a Jordanian news channel, Al-Hadath. The YPG said it had ...

Russia, Turkey Agree to Coordinate on Syria after US Pullout

Russia and Turkey on Saturday agreed to coordinate ground operations in Syria after last week’s shock announcement of a US military withdrawal, Moscow’s top diplomat said. “Of course we paid special attention to new circumstances which appeared in connection with the announced US military pullout,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov ...

President Assad Receives Letter from Iraqi Prime Minister

President Bashar al-Assad received on Saturday a message from Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi conveyed by Iraqi National Security Adviser Faleh al-Fayad. The message concentrated on boosting relations between the two countries and the necessity of continuing coordination between them on all levels, particularly concerning combating terrorism. During the meeting, ...

Iran Welcomes Rise of Syrian Flag over Manbij

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi described the Syrian army’s move to enter the key northern city of Manbij for the first time in six years as “a new step” to resolve the protracted crisis in the Arab country. “Emphasizing the need to respect the national sovereignty and the territorial ...

Syrian Army Deploys to Manbij: Photos

Erdogan: Nothing Left to Do in Manbij if YPG Militia Leaves

President Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara will have nothing left to do in the Syrian town of Manbij once “terrorist organizations” leave the area. Hours after the Syrian army said it had entered Manbij on Friday, Erdogan signaled that Turkey was not in a hurry to carry out an operation it ...

Turkey: Syrian Kurds ‘Have No Right’ to Seek Help from Damascus

Turkey on Friday said Syrian Kurdish militants “does not have the right” to appeal to Damascus for help to counter a threatened Turkish offensive in the north. The Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) “controlling the area with arms does not have the right or power to make a statement or ...

US Troop Withdrawal from Syria Could Take Several Months

US military officials reported that the withdrawal from Syria, as President Donald Trump had announced, could take several months, according to a report by ABC News. Although US officials had previously announced that the withdrawal could occur within one month, the pace of withdrawal seems to be much slower than ...