Türkiye, Syria, Jordan set joint center to fight ISIL: Sources
ANKARA
Türkiye, Syria and Jordan have established a joint coordination unit in Damascus to fight against ISIL, Turkish Defense Ministry sources informed on May 29.
According to the sources, the coordination unit started its functions on May 19 upon the invitation of the Syrian government, and the Defense Ministry deployed personnel to serve in the Damascus-based unit. They didn’t detail the number and ranks of appointed military personnel.
The move came after Türkiye, Syria, Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon agreed to form a joint operation center in the Syrian territories to fight against ISIL and prevent the terror group from resurrection.
Currently, the responsibility to fight against ISIL belongs to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDG) whose main pillar is composed by YPG, a terrorist organization. YPG is politically and militarily supported by the United States.
They also control the prisons in which the ISIL terrorists are kept and the camps where their family members are sheltered.
U.S. President Donald Trump demanded Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa to prepare to get control of the ISIL prisons and deport all foreign terrorists, in a sign that Washington is pondering to withdraw from Syria.
Türkiye presses on YPG to integrate its armed forces to the Syrian army in line with the March 10 agreement with Damascus.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, speaking to reporters on his return from Azerbaijan, criticized YPG for prolonging the integration process.
“We have underlined that we welcomed the deal [between the two sides]. But we see that the Syrian Democratic Forces are still using delaying tactics. They must stop it,” Erdoğan said.
He also recalled that he discussed this issue with Sharaa during their meeting in Istanbul last weekend.
