ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - US troops will remain in Syria to prevent the Islamic State (ISIS) from resurging and Washington’s focus will be on deconfliction in the country, US deputy permanent representative to the UN said on Tuesday.
“For the moment, yes. We need to make sure that ISIS doesn’t re-surge, and so we’re going to continue to fight that battle along with other partners because it’s important that ISIS not be allowed to reconstitute itself and conduct terror across the Middle East,” Robert A. Wood told Rudaw on the sidelines of a UN Security Council meeting on the latest developments in Syria, when asked if Washington plans to keep troops in Syria.
He added that the Syrian people had been held “hostage by a regime” for decades and they do not want any more fighting at this sensitive time.
Responding to a question regarding the latest clashes between Turkey-backed militants and Kurdish fighters in northern Syria, he said that speculations shouldn’t be made at the moment and that “we should wait and see what happens with that,” while stressing that they are working on de-escalating tensions and will continue to do so.
The US brokered a four-day ceasefire between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Turkey last week, which State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said was extended on Tuesday.
The ceasefire extension came amid a proposal by SDF General Commander Mazloum Abdi for a demilitarized zone in Kobane under US supervision, an initiative he said “aims to address Turkish security concerns and ensure the long-term stability of the region.”
Turkey’s defense ministry on Thursday denied agreeing to a ceasefire brokered by the US, with SDF, stating that Ankara will not halt its military campaign until the Kurdish-led force “disarms.”
US Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters on Thursday that the ceasefire is still “holding,” adding that the US is also monitoring the latest developments in Kobane.
Abdi told Reuters on Thursday that if Ankara agrees to a ceasefire with the SDF, all non-Syrian members of the Kurdish-led force will leave Syria.
