Syrian Government Says Unapproved Safe Zones Undermine Sovereignty
Attempts to establish safe zones in Syria without the government’s approval would be “unsafe” and would violate Syria’s sovereignty, the Syrian government said on Monday, Reuters reported.
The Syrian foreign ministry and the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR agreed on the matter in a meeting in Damascus, said Syrian state news agency SANA, without providing further details.
On Wednesday, U.S. president Donald Trump said he would “absolutely do safe zones in Syria” for refugees fleeing the ongoing violence there, adding that Gulf states would pay for them.
Countries supporting rebels in Syria, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, have welcomed Trump’s statement. Turkey says it is waiting to see the outcome of the proposal. Russia, a key government ally, said it would back the proposal if the Syrian government consented.
SDF Aims to Surround Raqqa, Receives First Armored Vehicles From U.S.-Led Coalition
The next step in Syrian Democratic Forces’ (SDF) fight against ISIS will entail a complete surrounding of its hub in Syria, a Kurdish military source told Reuters on Tuesday.
The U.S.-backed alliance of Kurdish and Arab forces known launched its offensive on ISIS’ de facto capital, Raqqa, in November.
The next phase aims to cut ISIS off from other areas it controls, in particular, the south of Raqqa in neighboring Deir Ezzor province.
“The coming phase of the campaign aims to isolate Raqqa completely,” the Kurdish source told Reuters. “In order to accomplish this requires reaching the Raqqa-Deir al-Zor road. This mission will be difficult.”
Separately, SDF spokesman Talal Silo told Reuters that the group has received armored vehicles from the U.S.-led coalition for the first time.
“Previously we didn’t get support in this form; we would get light weapons and ammunition,” Silo said.
U.N. Resumes Aid Airdrop City Besieged by ISIS
The U.N. World Food Program (WFP) has resumed airdrops of food supplies to besieged Syrians in the city of Deir Ezzor, Reuters reported.
Nearly 93,500 people are under siege by ISIS in eastern Syrian city. WFP halted its airdrops after ISIS took control of the drop zone it was using during an offensive on January 15.
A new drop zone is now being used, WFP said on Tuesday.
RECOMMENDED READS:
- IRIN: Syria’s Forgotten Siege: The Noose Tightens Around Deir Ezzor
- New York Times: Postcard From My Past: Crossing Into Syria
- Al Jazeera: Trump’s ‘Real Estate’ Approach to Safe Zones in Syria
- Al Jazeera: ‘How I’m Still Alive’: Surviving Assad’s Prison Cells
- Associated Press: Syrian Doctor Studying in U.S. Stuck Abroad Due to Travel Ban