US Opposes Turkey's Potential Military Operation in Northern Syria - Pentagon

© AP Photo / Baderkhan AhmadAmerican military convoy rides during a joint exercise with Syrian Democratic Forces at the countryside of Deir Ezzor in northeastern Syria, Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021
American military convoy rides during a joint exercise with Syrian Democratic Forces at the countryside of Deir Ezzor in northeastern Syria, Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021 - Sputnik International, 1920, 13.07.2022
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WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States is opposed to a possible military operation by Turkey in northern Syria, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East Dana Stroul said.
"We strongly oppose any Turkish operation into northern Syria and have made clear our objections to Turkey specifically because ISIS* is going to take advantage of that campaign and not to mention the humanitarian impact," Stroul said on Wednesday.
Stroul noted that the issue concerns not only some 10,000 fighters of the Islamic State terror group, who are Syrian Democratic Forces custody, but also some 60,000 displaced persons in the Al Hol and Al Roj camps in northern Syria who are vulnerable to radicalization and exploitation.
Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said earlier that Ankara was ready to launch a new military operation in northern Syria that could begin at any moment. Damascus has repeatedly called the presence of Turkish forces in the border area of Syria, which carry out operations there against Kurdish formations, illegal and urged Ankara to withdraw its troops.
Syrian Democratic Council Representative in the United States, Bassam Saker, told Sputnik last week that the Syrian Kurds are warning Turkey's potential military operation in northern Syria will make it impossible to safeguard prisons there and thousands of Islamic State fighters may break free.
The armed conflict in Syria has been going on since 2011, with different insurgent groups, including terrorist organizations, fighting the Syrian Army in order to topple the government of President Bashar Assad. In late 2017, the Islamic State was declared defeated in Syria and Iraq, but counterterrorism mop-up operations are still underway.
Washington backs the Kurdish armed groups in Syria despite protests by the Syrian government.
Damascus does not recognize the so-called autonomous administration of northern and eastern Syria, and calls the presence of the US military on its territory an occupation while the theft of Syria's oil state-sponsored piracy.
*Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist organization outlawed in Russia and many other states
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