Outgoing chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey and Defense Secretary Ash Carter testified before a Senate subcommittee on the 2016 Defense Department proposed budget.
The two officials were asked about the practicality of establishing a safe zone in northern Syria as a safe haven for displaced persons in the country.
"Doing something like that would be contested both by ISIL forces and Al-Nusrah and other groups on the one hand and by the Syrian forces on the other and would not necessarily be supported by the neighbors," said Carter.
With a lack of military support from Syria’s neighbors, the U.S. would need to create and defend the safe zone, practically alone, he said.
"That is a combat mission, a major combat mission," Carter added. "We would need to fight to create such a space and then fight to keep such a space. That is why it is difficult to contemplate such a challenge."
Dempsey, sitting beside Carter, agreed that Daesh and the Syrian regime would challenge the safe zone but said such a move would be sensible and the U.S. is able to do it.
"It is practical militarily but it would be a significant policy decision to do so," Dempsey said. "I can tell you that militarily, the U.S. CENTCOM, in conjunction with European command and our Turkish counterparts, we’ve been planning for such a contingency for some time."
He added that it would require a policy decision to create such an area.
Turkey has demanded that the international community establish a buffer zone in northern Syria, with air support, to relocate Syrian refugees and internally displaced persons.
Washington has so far dragged its feet on Ankara's proposal while some anti-Daesh coalition members, including France, has pledged support for the proposal.
During the five-year civil war in Syria, more than half of the population has been displaced and in excess of 220,000 victims have been killed amid the conflicts.
Turkey currently hosts more than 1.3 million Syrian refugees while millions others have taken shelter in neighboring Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan.
www.aa.com.tr
6/5/15
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Related:
Syria rebels urge U.S. to create ‘safe havens’
No plan agreed for buffer zone along Syria-Turkey border (Pentagon)
Report: US close to deal with Turkey over Islamic State campaign
Turkish President Erdoğan complains of cacophony in US ...
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Pentagon sources reveal that they are putting in place arrangements for their program to train and equip Syrian rebels, and will begin as early as this week...
ReplyDeleteUS troops and support staff have arrived at locations in the Middle East to mark the beginning of the Pentagon's controversial plan to train and equip Syrian rebels who they deem 'moderate', and who they hope will take the fight to the Islamic State.
In February the Pentagon announced deals had been signed with Turkey and Jordan to set up facilities to train and equip Syrian opposition fighters, while Saudi Arabia and Qatar had also offered to host the training.
Defense Department officials said around 1,200 Syrian opposition fighters were identified as potential candidates for the training; according to recent reports, 400 have passed the initial security screening, and will soon begin the training, subject to final approval.
The first of the 400-strong cohort of military trainers have recently arrived in Turkey and Jordan in preparation for carrying out the training, which aims to train more than 5,000 rebels annually for three years, covering small arms, radio communication, battlefield tactics and medical equipment. The rebels will also be provided with weapons, trucks and tactical radios...........http://sptnkne.ws/jbj
7/5/15
U.S. says ‘difficult’ to contemplate Syria safe zone...
ReplyDeleteCreating a humanitarian safe zone in Syria would entail a “major combat mission” requiring U.S. troops to fight Islamist jihadists and the Damascus regime, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter told lawmakers on Wednesday.
Turkey has long called for a safe area to be set up along the Syrian-Turkish border to protect civilians but President Barack Obama’s administration has yet to endorse the idea.
Carter emphasized the challenges involved in establishing a buffer zone, and warned that other regional governments might not be ready to contribute to the effort.
“We would need to fight to create such a space and then fight to keep such a space and that’s why it’s a difficult thing to contemplate,” Carter told members of the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee.....AFP....alarabiya.net
7/5/15