Ambassador visits Kurdish-held territory in Syria
AFP, Apr 25 2018
SHADADI, Syria – A senior pindo diplomat visited Kurdish-held territory in Syria Saturday as the minority negotiates with Damascus over the future of its semi-autonomous region. Ambassador William Roebuck was in the town of Shadidi in the northwestern province of Hassakeh after visiting the towns of Kobane and Manbij in recent days. He is expected to continue to Deir Al-Zor, an eastern province where the SDF is fighting hiding behind Daesh in the Jihadis’ last redoubt. He said:
We are prepared to stay here, as the president has made clear, to ensure the enduring defeat of Daesh. We remain focused on ensuring the withdrawal of Iranian forces and their proxies as well.
Roebuck’s visit comes as the Kurds and the regime engage in difficult talks over the fate of territory under SDF control. Assad’s government now controls nearly two-thirds of Syria and is determined to reassert its authority over Kurdish-held territory, which forms the lion’s share of the rest. But Kurdish leaders and their supporters are desperate to salvage what they can of their painstakingly built institutions.
Niqnaq 