Need to de-escalate situation in northeast Syria before it’s “irreparable”: Pentagon

Need to de-escalate situation in northeast Syria before it's "irreparable": Pentagon
Need to de-escalate situation in northeast Syria before it's "irreparable": Pentagon

In some of the most critical U.S. comments aboutTurkey's advance into northeastern Syria, Defense Secretary Mark Esper told hisTurkish counterpart they should deescalate the situation before it becomes"irreparable", adding that Ankara's operation could harm U.S.personnel in Syria.

Turkey stepped up its air and artillery strikes onKurdish militia in northeast Syria on Friday, escalating an offensive that hasdrawn warnings of humanitarian catastrophe and turned Republican lawmakersagainst U.S. President Donald Trump.

The incursion, launched after Trump withdrew U.S.troops who had been fighting alongside Kurdish forces against Islamic Statemilitants, has opened a new front in the eight-year-old Syrian civil war anddrawn fierce international criticism.

"While the Secretary reaffirmed (that) we valueour strategic bilateral relationship, this incursion risks serious consequencesfor Turkey," a Pentagon statement said, giving details of a call betweenEsper and Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar.

"As part of the call, Secretary Esper stronglyencouraged Turkey to discontinue actions in northeastern Syria in order toincrease the possibility that the United States, Turkey and our partners couldfind a common way to de-escalate the situation before it becomesirreparable," the statement added.

Esper, the statement said, made clear that Turkey's"uncoordinated actions" risked the progress made in the fight againstIslamic State militants.

Turkey says the purpose of its assault is to defeatthe Kurdish YPG militia, which it sees as an enemy for its links to insurgentsin Turkey. It says it aims to set up a "safe zone" inside Syria,where it can resettle many of the 3.6 million refugees it has been hosting.

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