Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria left several positions along the extensive border with Turkey on Thursday, complying with a deal that sees Damascus, Ankara and Moscow carve up their now-defunct autonomous region. Even as troops withdrew, the Kurds' top commander threw his weight behind a German-led plan for an internationally secured security zone in the country's north.
Russian forces have started patrols along the flashpoint frontier, filling part of the vacuum left by a US troop withdrawal that effectively returned a third of the country to the Moscow-backed regime of President Bashar al-Assad. An AFP correspondent saw a Russian patrol set off from the town of Qamishli westwards along the Turkish border flying the country's flags, accompanied by Kurdish security forces.
US President Donald Trump has praised the agreement reached in Sochi between Nato member Turkey and Russia, and rejoiced that US personnel were leaving the "long blood-stained sand" of Syria, leaving just a residual contingent behind "where they have the oil." The deal signed in the Black Sea resort by Syria's two main foreign brokers gives Kurdish forces until Tuesday to withdraw to a line 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the border.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) had pulled out of some areas at the eastern end of the border on Thursday. Fighters from the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) - the main component of the SDF - remained in many positions along the 440 kilometre (275 mile) border, said the Britain-based war monitor's head, Rami Abdel Rahman.
The Observatory also reported clashes near the town of Tal Tamr between SDF fighters and some of the Syrian former rebels paid by Turkey to fight ground battles. SDF commander Mazloum Abdi on Twitter accused the Turkish-led forces of violating the truce on the eastern front of Ras al-Ain.
"The guarantors of the ceasefire must carry out their responsibilities to rein in the Turks," he added on Twitter. The events were set to provoke "forceful" discussion at a Nato defence ministers' meeting in Brussels on Thursday and Friday, but Ankara risked little because of its strategic position, diplomats said.
Speaking to journalists later Thursday, Abdi threw his weight behind a German-led plan for an international force to establish a security zone in northern Syria. The plan, details of which remain unclear, is expected to be discussed at the Nato meeting.
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2019
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