Turkey: Kurdish forces still in northeast Syria ahead of deadline for pullout

Turkey’s defense minister said Tuesday that Kurdish YPG forces had not left a piece of land in northeastern Syria, with a deadline for the troops to leave just hours away.

“It looks like the YPG terror organization is still in the area of Operation Peace Spring,” Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar told the Sabah newspaper, according to Reuters. 

{mosads}“This fight [against terrorism] is not over. We are aware that it will not end,” he added. 

The news service noted that under an agreement between Russia, Turkey and Syria, YPG forces and their weapons would be removed from a 19-mile territory near the Turkish-Syrian border before 6 p.m. local time Tuesday. 

After 6 p.m., Russian and Turkish forces would reportedly patrol the area in Syria. 

 “The rules of engagement, [the question of] which vehicles are to be used, the authorities and directives are to be determined,” Akar added. 

He reportedly said that about 2,000 YPG fighters remained in two border towns west of the strip of land that Turkey wants to include in a “safe zone.”

Turkey launched an offensive into northern Syria this month after President Trump announced the withdrawal of U.S. troops. The move sparked bipartisan backlash, with lawmakers saying it both threatened U.S. security and the U.S.-allied Kurds. 

The U.S. military has relied on the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces to fight ISIS. Turkey, however, considers Syrian Kurds to be terrorists who are part of an insurgency in the country.