Syrian army redeployed to northern borders after US withdrawal

Following Turkey's offensive against Syria, the United States on October 13 has reportedly withdrawn its remaining 1,000 troops from northern Syria. At the same time, Syria's army struck a deal with Kurdish forces to redeploy along its border with Turkey. Both the developments are major victories for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, cite reports in media. This comes as a failure of the US policy of keeping Assad from reasserting state authority over areas lost during the war with rebels. It is also a sign of Washington's waning influence over events in Syria. Similarly, the move also proves to be a victory for Russia and Iran, which have backed Assad since 2011 when peaceful protests against his family's decades-long rule of Syria exploded into a full-blown civil war. Read: Pakistan Backs Turkey's 'incursion' In Syria That Alarms ISIS' Revival Syrian army to face Turkish forces Return of Syrian soldiers to the Turkish border opens up the possibility of a wider conflagration which is that the Syrian army will come in direct conflict with Turkish forces. Earlier the West had raised concerns over IS forces fleeing the territory on the eve of the war which has in fact happened, cite reports. Turkey also claimed that the IS forces and its families were held by Kurdish forces which is why the country aims to neutralize the Kurdish YPG militia. Turkey regards the YPG as a terrorist group aligned with Kurdish insurgents in Turkey. On the other hand, the main element of Washington's Kurdish-led ally, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which had been a key US ally in dismantling the jihadist "caliphate" set up by Islamic State militants in Syria. Read: France, Germany Halts Arms Sale, World Reacts On Turkey 'incursion' US withdrawal a result of Turkey's offensive and Kurdish alliance with Russia & Syria US withdrawal of forces from Syria started when US President Donald Trump decided to withdraw about 50 special operations forces from two outposts in northern Syria. Critics saw the step as a green signal for Turkey's incursion in Syria. As per reports, more than 130,000 people have been displaced from rural areas around Tel Abyad and Ras al-Ain as a result of the fighting. This happened after Trump spoke on the telephone with Erdogan and then abruptly shifted policy and withdrew more than 5000 US troops deployed to support Kurdish forces in the campaign against Islamic State. Pentagon's Esper told the media that the SDF aimed to make a deal with Russia and Syria to counter the Turkish onslaught. This statement was followed by the announcement by the Kurdish-led administration striking an agreement for the Syrian army to deploy along the length of the border with Turkey to help repel Ankara's offensive. Even the Syrian media reported that the Syrian army has begun deploying its troops to northern battlefronts to confront "Turkish aggression" on Syrian territory. Read: Turkey's Refugee Plan Met With Widespread Scepticism "In the last 24 hours, we learned that (the Turks) likely intend to extend their attack further south than originally planned, and to the west. We also have learned in the last 24 hours that the ... SDF are looking to cut a deal, if you will, with the Syrians and the Russians to counter-attack against the Turks in the north, " Esper said on a television channel. Read: Mike Pompeo Defends Syria, Says They Did Not Allow Turkey To Attack (With inputs from agencies)

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Syrian army redeployed to northern borders after US withdrawal

The Syrian army will deploy to the Syria-Turkish border on October 14 to counteract the Turkish offensive after striking a deal with the Kurdish-led SDF

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