Turkish media: US plans to create no-fly zones in Syria
The US has built three advanced radar systems in northern regions of Syria, as well as deployed mobile and stationary radar facilities, writes the Turkish newspaper Yeni Safak citing former commander of the Military Assembly of Deir ez-Zor Fayez Esmer. According to him, in the future, the US plans to create an “air defense shield” in the region.
The publication also says, without specifying a source for the information, that the US “has already started creating a no-fly zone in northern Syria” and deploying radar systems in the region controlled by the Kurdish party Democratic Union Party (PYD).
According to another publication, Hurriyet, the United States deployed an air defense system in the area of the city of Kobani in Syrian Kurdistan, which is controlled by Kurdish forces. Also, parts of the air defense system are housed in a US base in the city of Ash Shaddadi in northeast Syria. The newspaper also writes that the US is “preparing to establish a no-fly zone in the north of Syria.”
Washington has previously expressed interest in creating such no-fly zones in Syria. In early July 2017, before US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met, Rex Tillerson, who at the time was the Secretary of State, said at the G20 summit in Hamburg that the US is ready to discuss with Russia the establishment of no-fly zones in Syria. However, no specific agreements made by the presidents were reported.
Trump’s rival in the pre-election race in 2016, former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also supported a no-fly zone over Syria. At that time, Trump stated that this could lead to a conflict with Russia and cause a “third world war.”