ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The US on Monday said it remains “deeply concerned” about the potential military escalation in northern Syria, calling on all sides to maintain the existing ceasefire lines and to work towards a solution to the conflict.
US State Department spokesperson Ned Price responded to questions posed on Turkey and Syria by Rudaw’s Roj Eli Zalla during a weekly press briefing. Price reiterated that the US remains concerned about the ongoing talk of military escalation in northern Syria, especially on the impact this would have on the local population.
“We have continued to call for the maintenance of existing ceasefire lines. We would condemn any escalation beyond those lines,” the spokesperson said in response to a question regarding recent statements by general commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Mazloum Abdi.
The commander told Reuters on Sunday that the SDF was considering working with the Syrian regime to counter a possible Turkish invasion. "The essential thing that the Syrian army could do to defend Syrian territory would be use air defense systems against Turkish planes," Abdi said.
“It’s crucial for all sides to maintain and to respect those ceasefire zones to enhance stability in Syria and to work towards a political solution to the conflict,” Price added, without directly touching upon Abdi’s remarks on the US-backed SDF cooperating with the Syrian regime, which Washington refuses to normalize ties with.
“I want to be optimistic about it. I don’t want to be pessimistic about it,” Price responded when asked whether the current administration’s stance on northeast Syria will be different to the previous one.
Turkey has launched two offensives against Kurdish fighters in Syria since 2018. It alleges that the fighters are allied with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), an armed group fighting for the increased rights of Kurds in Turkey and is viewed as a terrorist organization by Ankara.
Russia, Syria, and the United Nations have all called on Turkey to refrain from embarking on military escalation in northeastern Syria.
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