Ilham Ahmed, the Foreign Relations co-chair of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), has indicated that troops from the US and France could move in to secure the border between northern Syria and Turkey.
“The United States and France could indeed secure the entire border. We are ready for this military coalition to assume this responsibility,” said Ahmed.
“We ask the French to send troops to this border to secure the demilitarized zone, to help us protect the region and establish good relations with Turkey,” said Ahmed, in a televised interview on French TV.
French Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot stated on a recent visit to Damascus that the Kurds should be included in the reshaping of Syria. Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron said that France would not abandon the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Ahmed identified the position of Turkey as the key stumbling block in moving towards peace. “As soon as France has convinced Turkey to accept its presence on the border, then we can start the peace process,” she said, encouraging France to intervene to help secure the border. “We hope that everything will be settled in the coming weeks,” she concluded.
French intervention could help to safeguard the territories controlled by the AANES from Turkish aerial bombardment, and attacks by the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA).
