US-Turkey overflights continue in northern Syria as Erdogan threatens to act unilaterally
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — US and Turkish helicopters performed their fourth joint air patrol over the East of Euphrates in northern Syria on Thursday as part of first phase plans to establish a safe zone in the region, days after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to conduct independent operations in the area.
Both the Turkish defense ministry and US European Command released images of the overflight. According to Ankara, “two Turkish and two US helicopters” took part in the patrol.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) detailed US participation in "several US-Turkey reconnaissance overflights" in a Wednesday press release, as well as a joint ground patrol by the two country's forces on Sunday.
“[O]ur joint ground patrol demonstrates our continued commitment to address Turkey's legitimate security concerns, while also allowing the Coalition and our SDF partners to remain focused on achieving the enduring defeat of Daesh (ISIS)," a CENTCOM spokesperson for the International Coalition against Islamic State (ISIS) said in the release.
The first joint overflight was conducted on August 25.
Both countries’ military officials agreed on August 7 to establish a safe zone in northern Syria to deescalate tensions between the US-backed People’s Protection Units (YPG) and Turkey.
The YPG is viewed by Turkey as the Syrian offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) - designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies. The YPG constitutes the backbone of the Kurdish-dominated SDF which control much of northeastern Syria.
The agreement also seeks to establish a “peace corridor” in the area for some of Turkey’s 3.6 million Syrian refugees. Erdogan has said that Turkey intends to return about a million of the refugees to northern Syria.
The SDF removed some of its fortifications from the border area in late August as a sign of “commitment” to the agreement.
"You can see the progress: the SDF voluntarily razed fortifications,” according to the CENTCOM release.
The safe zone’s joint operations centre is based in Sanliurfa province, on the Turkish border with Syria. A US military delegation visited the centre on Wednesday.
Erdogan has, however, expressed doubts about US levels of commitment to the safe zone plan, vowing to undertake operations independently if the safe zone is not established quickly enough.
"If the de facto formation of a safe zone east of the Euphrates with Turkish soldiers is not initiated by the end of September, Turkey has no choice but to set out on its own," Erdogan warned during a mass opening ceremony in Malatya, eastern Turkey.
"We expect from the US to stand with us in our efforts on fighting terrorism and on establishing safe zones for migrants,” President Erdogan said on Tuesday at a reception held as part of the US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross’ visit to Turkey.