The U.S. Department of Defense said on Tuesday they were concerned about Turkish military escalation in northern Syria.
“A ground invasion would severely jeopardize the hard-fought gains that the world has achieved against ISIS, and would destabilize the region,” said the Press Secretary for the U.S. Department of Defense Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder.
Since November 20th, 2022, the Turkish air force has launched intense airstrikes on all AANES-held areas on the Syrian-Turkish border in addition to bombarding areas which are more than 40 km away from the border such as the Global Coalition military base and al-Hol Camp in Hassakeh and the village of the Makman in the northern countryside of Deir-ez-Zor.
Ryder added, they urged “restraint amidst the tensions in this region.”
He pointed out that they had reduced the number of partnered patrols with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
“Right now the D-ISIS mission does continue.”
On November 23rd, the SDF announced suspending its mission against ISIS due to the latest Turkish escalation in the SDF-held areas.
The Pentagon press secretary expressed the U.S. deep concern about the escalating actions by Turkey in northern Syria.
He affirmed that they continue to support the SDF in their fight against ISIS.
This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
