Amid Push to Dispatch More Troops
Top U.S. General Secretly Visits Syria
DAMASCUS (Dispatches) – U.S. General Joseph Votel, the commander of the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), has secretly headed to northern Syria to meet U.S.-backed terrorist groups, two days after announcing that Washington was mulling more U.S. boots on the ground in the Arab country.
Votel, who oversees the U.S.-led military operations against alleged Daesh targets in Iraq and Syria, visited the frontline cities of Kobani and Raqqah and met with commanders of the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militants.
According to Talal Sello, a spokesman for the SDF, Votel discussed the terrorist group’s Raqqah offensive and the possible ways to expand coordination and support during the hours-long meeting.
The SDF launched its campaign to capture Raqqah in November 2016 and took control of some areas up the Euphrates Valley. The group enjoys air support from the U.S.-led coalition, which has been conducting airstrikes in Syria since 2014.
Votel has also discussed the situation in Raqqah with Turkish officials, who are unhappy with Washington’s ties with the SDF and have reportedly offered alternative plans to capture the terrorist-riddled city without the group’s involvement.
Nearly two-thirds of the 30,000 SDF members belong to the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), which Ankara considers a "terrorist" group.
Meanwhile, as the diplomatic efforts aimed at finding a solution to Syria's conflict get momentum, the United Nations has welcomed the Syrian warring sides' readiness to "sit down in one room."
Michael Contet, the acting chief of staff of UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, made the remarks at a press conference at the end of the second day of a new round of talks at the UN headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
He noted that de Mistura was "satisfied that in a short space of time the parties have shown their readiness to sit in one room and he has had the opportunity for some initial in-depth exchanges.”
Content added that the special envoy, however, believed that the negotiations would be a difficult and lengthy process that an "early public breakthrough should not be expected.”
During the previous rounds of talks held in Geneva, the two parties never negotiated directly and only communicated via de Mistura.
The UN-brokered intra-Syrian talks come shortly after the conclusion of the second round of the Syria peace negotiations, facilitated by Russia, Turkey and Iran, in the Kazakh capital of Astana on February 15 and 16. The negotiations, which were held in a closed-door setting, sought to pave the way for the negotiations in Geneva.
Votel, who oversees the U.S.-led military operations against alleged Daesh targets in Iraq and Syria, visited the frontline cities of Kobani and Raqqah and met with commanders of the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militants.
According to Talal Sello, a spokesman for the SDF, Votel discussed the terrorist group’s Raqqah offensive and the possible ways to expand coordination and support during the hours-long meeting.
The SDF launched its campaign to capture Raqqah in November 2016 and took control of some areas up the Euphrates Valley. The group enjoys air support from the U.S.-led coalition, which has been conducting airstrikes in Syria since 2014.
Votel has also discussed the situation in Raqqah with Turkish officials, who are unhappy with Washington’s ties with the SDF and have reportedly offered alternative plans to capture the terrorist-riddled city without the group’s involvement.
Nearly two-thirds of the 30,000 SDF members belong to the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), which Ankara considers a "terrorist" group.
Meanwhile, as the diplomatic efforts aimed at finding a solution to Syria's conflict get momentum, the United Nations has welcomed the Syrian warring sides' readiness to "sit down in one room."
Michael Contet, the acting chief of staff of UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, made the remarks at a press conference at the end of the second day of a new round of talks at the UN headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
He noted that de Mistura was "satisfied that in a short space of time the parties have shown their readiness to sit in one room and he has had the opportunity for some initial in-depth exchanges.”
Content added that the special envoy, however, believed that the negotiations would be a difficult and lengthy process that an "early public breakthrough should not be expected.”
During the previous rounds of talks held in Geneva, the two parties never negotiated directly and only communicated via de Mistura.
The UN-brokered intra-Syrian talks come shortly after the conclusion of the second round of the Syria peace negotiations, facilitated by Russia, Turkey and Iran, in the Kazakh capital of Astana on February 15 and 16. The negotiations, which were held in a closed-door setting, sought to pave the way for the negotiations in Geneva.