Turkish-US safe zone center in NE Syria to begin work next week – Ankara

A joint Turkish-US operations center, which will establish and manage a safe zone in northeast Syria, will be fully operational next week, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Friday. “The joint operation center will start working with full capacity next week,” Anadolu quoted Akar as saying.

The minister said that Turkish and US officials have agreed that Syrian Kurdish YPG militia fighters should be removed from the area and their heavy weaponry should be taken, according to Reuters.

The US and Turkey have been at odds over plans for northeastern Syria, where the YPG had formed the main part of a US-backed force that fought against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL). Turkey considers the YPG a terrorist group and its enemy.

Ankara and Washington have also agreed in general terms about control and coordination of the airspace in the region, Akar said.