Syrian Kurdish official eyes possible talks with Damascus World News Ellen Francis BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Kurdish-led authorities in northern Syria may open talks with Damascus and Russia to fill a security vacuum in the event of a full withdrawal of U.S. forces from the Turkish border area, a Syrian Kurdish official said on Tuesday. Badran Jia Kurd’s comments to Reuters reflect the predicament facing Kurdish-led forces in northern Syria following a partial withdrawal of U.S. troops who have effectively shielded the area from Turkish attack. The United States withdrew 50 American special forces from a section of the Turkish border on Monday, opening the way for Turkey to stage a long-threatened incursion against Syrian Kurdish-led forces that it deems as terrorists.
Saturday, 13 February, 2021 - 07:15
American and Turkish soldiers walk together during a joint US-Turkey patrol, near Tal Abyad, Syria, September 8, 2019. (Reuters) London - Ibrahim Hamidi
With various foreign forces at play in Syria, the current government effectively only controls 15 percent of its borders with neighboring countries and half of their land crossings, most of which are shared with Lebanon.
For the first time since 2011, the frontlines in Syria hardly shifted in 2020. The country is split between three “regions of influence”. Sixty-five percent of territories are controlled by the regime, with Russian and Iranian backing. The government controls the capital Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, Hama, Latakia, Daraa, Tartus and Deir Ezzor.