German defense minister proposes security zone for Syria

In this Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2019, file photo, German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer arrives for the weekly cabinet meeting at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany. Germany's defense minister has proposed the establishment of an internationally controlled security zone in Syria.

 Germany’s defense minister has proposed the establishment of an internationally controlled security zone in Syria.

The proposal comes as Turkish troops and allied Syrian fighters invaded northern Syria earlier this month, after President Donald Trump pulled back American troops who had partnered with Syrian Kurdish forces in the years-long war against the Islamic State group.

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer told German news agency dpa on Tuesday that “the creation of an internationally controlled security zone with the inclusion of Turkey and Russia” would have the goal of deescalating the situation in northern Syria.

Kramp-Karrenbauer said the German parliament would need to decide on whether German troops could participate in such a zone. She also told broadcaster Deutsche Welle that Chancellor Angela Merkel had been informed of the proposal.