US concerned over violence in northern Syria
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – US State Department spokesperson Ned Price on Monday expressed concerns over the escalation of violence in northern Syria.
“The United States is deeply concerned about recent attacks along Syria’s northern border and urges all parties to maintain ceasefire lines,” he said in a statement.
“We deplore the civilian casualties in Al-Bab, Hasakah, and elsewhere. We remain committed to our efforts to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS and a political resolution to the Syrian conflict.”
On Aug. 18, a Turkish drone strike killed four teenage girls playing volleyball at an UN centre.
Maj. Gen. John Brennan, the commander of the US-led coalition, condemned this attack.
Moreover, on August 19, 13 civilians were killed by Syrian government shelling on al-Bab, which is controlled by Turkish-backed factions.
Also UN officials on Saturday expressed their deep concern over the increase in hostilities in northern Syria.
Turkey has stepped up drone strikes and shelling in northern Syria in recent months and has threatened since May to launch a new operation.
Until now Turkey has not launched a new operation due to Russian and US opposition.
In the past, Turkish military operations either received a greenlight from the US or Russia.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters on Friday that Turkey is “in contact with Russia for every move we make in Syria.”
Syrian Kurds now fear that although the US will stop a Turkish offensive, they will not stop Turkish shelling or drone strikes.
The president of the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC), Ilham Ahmed earlier warned that the increased Turkish escalation increases the chances of “reviving ISIS terrorism.”
Read More: Syrian Kurdish official warns against Turkish escalation in northern Syria
On July 26, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price underlined that the US is against a new Turkish offensive.
However, he did not answer the question of a reporter if the US would stop drone attacks, a key demand by Syrian Kurdish leaders.
“We’re speaking to a renewed offensive into northeast Syria,” he underlined.
"American-Turkish relations in Syria are strained, to say the least. It's now obvious Ankara isn't willing to listen to US criticism," Aron Lund, a fellow at Century International and Middle East analyst at the Swedish Defense Research Agency (FOI), told Kurdistan 24.
"Strident US protests could still have some impact, but I think the likelier outcome in the long run is the development of some form of red lines, similar to how Russia and Israel negotiated a set of ground rules for Israeli operations in Russian-dominated airspace."