Turkey, US to block PYD from 'safe zone' in Syria

Turkey and the United States have agreed to prevent the Syrian Democratic Union Party (PYD) from entering areas freed from Daesh in northern Syria, Turkish diplomatic sources revealed.

PYD is a Syria-based affiliate of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and one of the most important Kurdish opposition parties in Syria as well as a charter member of the National Coordination Body for Democratic Change and the People’s Council of Western Kurdistan. The party is considered a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the US and the EU.

The sources told Turkey’s Anadolu Agency yesterday that the training and armament programme for Syrian fighters is ongoing and that the number of volunteers is on the rise.

According to the sources, US warplanes have arrived in Turkey’s Incirlik Air Base and more are expected to arrive in the coming days.

The same sources confirmed that areas freed from Daesh will be made “safe zone” under the control of moderate Syrian opposition forces.

Both the US and Turkey have warned the PYD not to cross the Euphrates river and not to attempt any demographic changes in the region. They also told them to allow Turkmen and Arabs back to their homes, sources explained.

They added that Turkey and the United States have agreed to provide aerial support for the fighters they trained adding that the US did this previously when they came under attack.

The 54 US-trained Syrian fighters who completed their training as part of the US programme have returned to Syria to begin the fight against Daesh.