Syria/Iraq update 10/22/2019..Erdogan and Putin hold press conference following talks

Erdogan and Putin hold press conference following talks

Today, Mr. Putin and I have signed a historic agreement on Syria – President Erdogan

Ceasefire in Syria set to expire as US troops leave

An American military convoy in Iraq after leaving Syria.

“Grateful” Kurds are saying Goodbye to the American troops

U.S. troops in Syria moving to Iraq

FarsNews Agency – Baghdad Warns US Troops Withdrawing from Syria Not Entitled to Stay in Iraq

The US military have been authorized to cross into Iraq from Syria for further transportation out of the country, but have not been granted the approval to stay in the country, the Iraqi Army said in a statement on Tuesday.

American forces that crossed into Iraq as part of a pull-out from Syria do not have permission to stay and can only be there in transit, according to the Iraqi military.

“All US forces that withdrew from Syria received approval to enter the Kurdistan Region so that they may be transported outside Iraq. There is no permission granted for these forces to stay inside Iraq,” the statement added.

On Monday, an Iraqi security official told Baghdad al-Youm almost 1,000 American forces retreating from Northern Syria have walked into Nineveh province in Northern Iraq, where they will continue their seemingly endless military presence in the region.

The deployment comes just days after President Donald Trump argued that it was “time to bring our soldiers back home”, a rationale that doesn’t seem to hold up to scrutiny now that the US forces have relocated to war-torn Iraq.

“US forces had stationed at Simalka border crossing, a passage between Hasakah province in Syria and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq,” the Iraqi official said, adding that “it is not clear where these forces are going to, but, according to information, most of them are reportedly heading for Iraqi Kurdistan”.

Expressing concern over the arrival of the US military servicemen, an Iraqi lawmaker stated that the American forces are expected to be stationed in the Sanjar area and around Talafar. The legislator said the US troops have not arrived at the center of Nineveh yet.

Reuters news agency also reported that more than 100 armored vehicles were spotted entering Iraq from the Sahela border crossing in Dohuk province in the Kurdistan region.

In recent days several hundred US troops have fled Northeast Syria into Iraq, as Washington had declared that up to 1,000 American troops would be withdrawn from Northern part of the war-torn country because of the increasing danger posed by the fighting.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper had stated that US forces withdrawing from Northern Syria will be relocated to Western Iraq, stating that he would not rule out the possibility that the American troops could conduct cross-border missions into Syria from their new home in Iraq.

The US troop withdrawal coincided with Turkey’s military incursion into the region, purportedly to create a “safe zone” inside Syrian territory. The military operation has been widely condemned by the international community.

The US and its allies invaded Syria in 2014 under the pretext of fighting terrorism, without any authorization from the Damascus government or a UN mandate. Damascus has repeatedly accused Washington of carrying out an illegal occupation of its sovereign territory.

Damascus government has reiterated that any foreign troops in Syria is regarded as an occupying force and the Syrian government has the right to take all the needed measures to confront it.

US to keep some troops in Syria as Turkish cease-fire expires

US Troops Remain In Syria To Protect Oil Fields From ‘Terrorists’, War Report

Russian state TV footage provided by AP shows Russian helicopters with armed troops on board landing on the runway of the Syrian Airbase at Tabqa, which was reopened, Tuesday, October 22

Fifth Border Guard Regiment this morning as they move to the countryside of Qamishli border with Turkey ..

Kurds Call On Israel To Intervene

FarsNews Agency – Syrian Democratic Council Seeking Union with Damascus after US Betrayal

Co-Chair of the Syrian Democratic Council Riad Hammoud Darar, after being disappointed by the US, said that the council is now pursuing real cooperation with Damascus to achieve an understanding that would bring stability to the country.

Darar, who co-chairs the Syrian Democratic Council (the political wing of the Syrian Democratic Forces, which is largely comprised of Kurdish militias), in an interview with the Lebanese newspaper al-Akhbar, said that the rapid developments in Northern and Eastern Syria will cost more territorial disintegration of Syria in favor of Turkey’s interests, adding that the US offered new land to Turkey to rectify its strained relationship with Ankara and return it to NATO.

He added that the agreement between the US and Russia is based on the fact that the resolution of the Syrian crisis will be achieved in a step-by-step process which would require all sides give up their extreme positions.

“Syrian democratic forces have always been discussing future relations with Damascus in order to reach a real and meaningful cooperation that would provide stability and give all Syrian groups and tribes the right they deserve,” he said.

Darar emphasized that the experience of autonomy and self-management which was used to fill the administrative void in Northeast Syria is subject to debate and reform to achieve a mutually beneficial structure fit for all parties.

The head of the Syrian Democratic Council voiced hope that Russia’s mediation would lead to agreements that would reward them political contribution and participation through fair and respectful elections.

“The [new] accord that allows the Syrian army to enter into Kurdish-controlled areas is to promote the constructive role of the Syrian Armed Forces in protecting its sovereignty and borders, and Syrian democratic forces will ultimately be part of the Syria’s National Army,” he highlighted.

On the other hand, Commander the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Mazloum Kobani met with a Russian delegation on Monday at the Qamishli airport in al-Hasakah province. The delegation’s visit to Qamishli was for conveying the Kurdish demands to Damascus and strengthening military cooperation between the Syrian government and the Kurds, having an eye on the possibility of converting it into a comprehensive agreement.

A Kurdish official, in an interview with al-Akhbar, said that the US decision to keep part of its troops on Syrian soil was meant to encourage Kurds not to give Damascus more concessions.

Al-Akhbar wrote that considering fast developments undergoing in Northeast Syria and with the truce between Turkey and the Syrian Democratic Forces looming to its final hours, all eyes are now set on a meeting between the Turkish and Russian presidents who are expected to lay out plans for the future of North and East Syria.

While the Kurds are optimistic about the new US position on keeping some of its troops in Northern Syria, they also feel concerned about an imminent military operation by Ankara to threaten areas along Ras al-Ain to al-Maliki, and even reach the borderline between Syria and Iraq through Al-Maliki and even extend its reach to Deir Ezzur and al-Raqqa.

According to the report by the Lebanese paper, if Turkey continues to press on, Washington will give up its decision to stay close to oil wells, which will put the Kurds back on track with the Syrian government. However, Kurdish sources familiar with the course of meetings between the Russians and the Kurds believe that the situation is not going to escalate significantly and Russia is trying to broker an agreement in a near future to secure the border with Turkey at al-Hasakah.

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that Washington will deploy a small number of its troops in Syria, near the border with Jordan.

“US forces leaving Syria will initially be moved to other areas but will eventually return to the United States,” he added.

“The US has never promised to stay in Syria for 400 years to support the Kurds,” Trump said.

US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said on Monday that some units of Washington’s troops may remain in the areas near the oil fields in Northeast Syria to protect them against possible attacks by the ISIL and extremist groups.

Al-Akhbar added that although Esper did not specify a time limit for the deployment of troops in Syria, his statement indicates that they remain at their bases near the Conoco, Al-Amar and Remilan oilfields in Deir Ezzur and al-Hasaka.

Assad visits Syrian Arab Army troops in Idlib province

Assad from Idlib frontline: Erdogan is a thief and a slave to the US

Assad’s soldiers intelligence in the western countryside of Jisr al-Shughur,