US-Turkey operations centre in Syria at full capacity

A joint Turkish-U.S. operation centre to establish and manage a safe zone in northeast Syria is fully operational, Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar was quoted as saying on Saturday by the state-owned Anadolu news agency.

France 24 reports that under an agreement reached between Ankara and Washington earlier this month after difficult negotiations, the joint operations centre will help coordinate the establishment of a buffer between the Turkish border and Syrian areas controlled by the US-backed Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG). The centre of joint operations has begun to operate at full capacity,” Akar told state news agency Anadolu. He said the first joint helicopter flight took place on Saturday afternoon.

Akar’s statement comes shortly after the YPG military group — which has been a key US ally in Syria but is deemed by Turkey to have terrorist links — said they would help implement the buffer zone in their areas along the Turkish border.

via France 24, Reuters and Anadolu