Bouthaina Shaaban, a political and media advisor to Syrian President Bashar Assad, stated “We are determined to liberate all of Syria’s territory from terrorists and Turkish and US occupation forces,” the Syrian news agency Sana reported.

Shaaban Wants US Out, Trump Doesn’t Mind

Meanwhile, United States President Donald Trump has announced on Thursday that the US would be withdrawing forces from Syria "very soon" and vowed to "let the other people take care of it" instead.

READ MORE: Trump: US to Leave Syria 'Very Soon' to Let Others Take Care of It

The US-led coalition launched its campaign of airstrikes against Daesh* in 2014, following it up with the deployment of US forces into Syria’s northeastern regions as the terrorists' so-called caliphate started to lose ground. The US has backed the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) for several years. There are around 2,000 troops in Syria now, the Pentagon has said. Damascus has repeatedly criticized the US military intervention, pointing out that US forces were never invited into the country by the internationally recognized government of President Bashar Assad.

The statement of Assad’s advisor came immediately after Turkey claimed its Armed Forces had established full control over Syrian northern district of Afrin. Ankara’s military operation Olive Branch started on January 20. Ankara proclaimed its intention to "clear" Turkey's Syrian border from the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), which Syria's northern neighbor has branded a terrorist organization. Turkey considers the YPG and the Democratic Union Party (PYD), a Kurdish political party in northern Syria, to be linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is listed as a terrorist organization by Ankara.

Damascus has repeatedly called the move "a violation of the country's sovereignty," insisting the Turkish troops should leave Syrian territory. Ankara refuses to do so, claiming Turkish troops are not going to attack government forces in Syria.

*Daesh, also known as ISIS, Islamic State, IS is a terrorist group banned in Russia</s>American among two coalition members killed in Syria, says Pentagon

US soldiers stand at attention during a visit of a US delegation to the YPG-held northern Syrian city of Manbij, where the US has a military presence, March 22, 2018. — AFP picBEIRUT, March 30 — An American was among two members of the US-led anti-jihadist coalition killed by an improvised explosive device in the northern Syrian city of Manbij, the US military and a monitor said today.

Five other coalition members were wounded, the Pentagon said.

The attack in Manbij, a city where US personnel are stationed, happened late yesterday — the day US President Donald Trump said he would pull out forces “very soon”.

“Two coalition personnel were killed and five were wounded by an improvised explosive device in Syria” at around midnight (2100 GMT), the coalition said in a statement which gave no further details about the victims.

A Pentagon official, speaking later on condition of anonymity, identified one of them as being American.

The nationality of the second fatality was not released, said the official, adding that the victim was not French.

Since 2014 the coalition has provided weapons, training and other support to forces fighting Islamic State group (IS) jihadists in Syria and Iraq.

This latest incident brings the number of US personnel killed in action during the operation to 14.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

The US-led coalition said it was withholding details on the circumstances of the attack pending further investigation.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, said the attack hit a convoy in the heart of Manbij, also wounding four members of the local council.

Manbij used to be a hub for the jihadists when their self-styled “caliphate” was at its peak. It was retaken by Kurdish-led forces backed by the coalition.

More than 2,000 US personnel

Located between the northern city of Aleppo and the western bank of the Euphrates, less than 30 kilometres (18 miles) south of the Turkish border, Manbij lies where several international influence zones meet and risks becoming a new flashpoint.

“We’ll be coming out of Syria, like, very soon. Let the other people take care of it now,” Trump told industrial workers in Ohio yesterday.

The United States has more than 2,000 military personnel in eastern Syria, working with local militia groups to defeat IS while trying to keep out of Syria’s broader civil war.

Trump’s eagerness to quit the conflict contrasts with a new US Syria strategy announced in January by then secretary of state Rex Tillerson — who has since been sacked.

Also yesterday, French President Emmanuel Macron met a delegation from the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and Kurdish official Asya Abdullah said afterwards that France was planning to send “new French troops to Manbij.”

The presidency did not explicitly deny the reinforcements, but stressed it was not planning any military operation in Syria outside the US-led coalition.

Turkey and its Syrian proxies launched a major offensive against the SDF in northern Syria in January that has already resulted in the capture of the Kurdish-majority region of Afrin.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to expand the operation to other areas where Kurdish forces are present, including the city of Manbij. — AFP</s>Image copyright AFP Image caption President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has rejected Emmanuel Macron's call for dialogue between Turkey and Kurds

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has rejected France's offer to mediate in northern Syria, saying he is "saddened" by its position.

"We have no need for mediation," he said. "We are extremely saddened by France's... wrong stance on this."

Turkey is battling to drive out the Kurdish YPG militia, which it sees as an extension of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

In a speech in Ankara, Mr Erdogan rebutted France's call for dialogue.

"Since when has Turkey been sitting down at the table with terror organisations?" he said. "You can sit down at the table with terror organisations but Turkey will continue its fight against terror."

France says the YPG has no direct organisational links to the PKK, which Turkey says is a terror group.

Earlier on Friday, a spokesman for Mr Erdogan said countries should take a "clear stance against all types of terrorism".

"We reject any efforts to promote 'dialogue', 'contact' or 'mediation' between Turkey and those terrorist organisations," the spokesman said.

What's behind the French offer?

President Emmanuel Macron had met members of the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), including the YPG and expressed hopes for dialogue between Turkey and the militia.

His office said he had "paid tribute to the sacrifices and the determining role" of the SDF in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) group.

Image copyright AFP Image caption Turkish-backed Syrian opposition fighters in Afrin

The SDF is a key US ally in the fight against IS and the Kurdish YPG forms a core part of it.

France and the US have given the militia weapons and training to support its battle against IS.

The president said France would support the "stabilisation" of the security zone in north-east Syria to stop IS regaining strength.

Kurdish officials said Mr Macron had committed himself to sending more troops to the area but Paris declined to comment on that.

France has suffered a series of deadly terror attacks claimed by IS in recent years, including the Paris attacks which killed 130 people in 2015.

A week ago an IS sympathiser killed three people in a rampage in southern France, including a police officer who died after swapping places with a hostage.

How dangerous is the conflict in northern Syria?

Earlier this month Turkey ousted Kurdish fighters from the Syrian-Kurdish city of Afrin. Activists said 280 civilians had been killed, although this was denied by Ankara.

As many as a quarter of a million civilians are said to have fled the city.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Footage shows destroyed statues and flags being raised in the centre of Afrin

Turkey has since threatened to attack the SDF-controlled town of Manbij, which was taken from IS in 2016 - and where the US has stationed troops.

The Turkish national security council issued an ultimatum on Wednesday, saying it would act if Kurdish fighters did not leave immediately.

Elsewhere in Syria, Turkey said five soldiers were killed and seven wounded in an attack by the PKK in the south-eastern province of Siirt.

The attack, the deadliest by the PKK for months, is likely to be in revenge for Turkey's offensive in northern Syria, BBC Turkey correspondent Mark Lowen reports.</s>BEIRUT (AP) - The Latest on developments in Syria (all times local):

 

4 p.m.

 

A U.S. defense official says one of the two troops with the U.S.-led coalition who were killed in a roadside bomb attack in Syria was an American.

 

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because details had not yet been publicly released, did not give the nationality of the second military member.

 

Earlier on Friday, the U.S. military said two coalition personnel were killed and five others wounded by a roadside bomb in Syria without specifying where exactly the attack occurred.

 

The U.S. official said no additional information about the American would be immediately available.

 

___

 

12:50 p.m.

 

A Syrian rebel group based near the capital Damascus is denying reports that an agreement has been reached with the Russians to evacuate the area and move somewhere else.

 

Army of Islam military spokesman Hamza Bayraqdar tells The Associated Press that the reports are false, adding that his group's stance is to reject displacement and demographic change in the area known as eastern Ghouta.

 

Earlier on Friday, Col. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi of the Russian military's General Staff said in a briefing that the agreement was that the rebels and their families leave the Syrian town of Douma in eastern Ghouta.

 

The announcement came after the Syrian government on Wednesday issued a three-day ultimatum to the Army of Islam group to leave Douma or face an all-out offensive.

 

___

 

12:30 p.m.

 

The Russian military says a deal has been reached for the largest rebel group in the enclave of eastern Ghouta to leave the area.

 

Col. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi of the Russian military's General Staff told Friday's briefing that the agreement envisages that the rebels and their families leave the Syrian town of Douma, just outside of Damascus.

 

The announcement came after the Syrian government on Wednesday issued a three-day ultimatum to the Army of Islam group to leave Douma or face an all-out offensive.

 

The Syrian government and the Russian military backing it have demanded that Army of Islam members leave the area for northern Syria, following other rebels who left eastern Ghouta.

 

Rudskoi said over 143,000 people, including 13,793 and 23,544 members of their families have left eastern Ghouta.

 

___

 

11:55 a.m.

 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has responded angrily at France for suggesting that it could help establish a dialogue between Turkey and a Syrian group that is dominated by Kurdish fighters that Ankara considers to be terrorists.

 

Erdogan on Friday accused French President Emmanuel Macron of overstepping "his limits" and going "over his head," adding that Turkey would never negotiate with "terrorists."

 

He was speaking after Macron met with members of the Syrian Democratic Forces, pledged French support to the group, and suggested that Turkey could establish dialogue with the group with Paris' help.

 

In his address in Ankara, the Turkish leader also said he held a telephone conversation with Macron last week during which the French leader made "bizarre" comments that forced Erdogan to raise his voice and respond with a "high frequency."

 

___

 

11:15 a.m.

 

The U.S. military says two coalition personnel have been killed and five were wounded by an improvised explosive device in Syria.

 

A U.S. military statement says the incident occurred on Thursday night and that the wounded personnel were being evacuated for further medical treatment.

 

Friday's statement did not say where the explosion occurred and did not state the casualties are Americans.

 

A Syrian official had told The Associated Press earlier that a roadside bomb exploded in the mixed Arab-Kurdish town of Manbij. Mohammed Abu Adel, the head of the Manbij Military Council, an Arab-Kurdish US.-backed group in the town, says the bomb went off hundreds of meters away from a security headquarters that houses the council just before midnight on Thursday.

 

The coalition statement said details pertaining to the incident are being withheld pending further investigation.

 

___

 

8:35 a.m.

 

A Syrian official says a roadside bomb has gone off in a tense, mixed Arab-Kurdish town not far from the border with Turkey.

 

Mohammed Abu Adel, the head of the Manbij Military Council, an Arab-Kurdish US.-backed group in the town, says the bomb went off hundreds of meters away from a security headquarters that houses the council just before midnight on Thursday.

 

A U.S. military official said on Friday an incident involving coalition forces was reported in Manbij but said no more information was available.

 

Col. Ryan Dillon said the coalition was still gathering information about the incident.

 

Manbij is under threat of a Turkish military operation. Ankara says Syrian Kurdish militiamen it views as "terrorists" and an extension of Kurdish insurgents inside Turkey is in control of the town.</s>"Those who get into bed with terrorists and even welcome them at their palaces will sooner or later see the mistake they have made.

Turkish president's comments come after a delegation of Kurdish fighters in Syria met French President Emmanuel Macron.Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has rejected a French offer to mediate between Turkey and Kurdish fighters in Syria that have been blacklisted by Ankara.His comments on Friday came a day after French President Emmanuel Macron hosted a delegation of Kurdish fighters in Paris and offered to mediate between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) - an umbrella group of fighters dominated by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) - and the Turkish government.Erdogan said at a meeting of the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party in the capital, Ankara."Those who host at the highest level the members of a terrorist organisation, which has been freely carrying out its activities in their countries, should be aware that this is nothing but an expression of hostility against Turkey," he said.Turkey considers France does not have the right to complain about the actions of any armed group on its soil after meeting with the representatives of the PYD and the YPG, the Turkish leader said.against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant ( ISIL , also known as ISIS) group in Syria, in a partnership that has infuriated Turkey.Al Jazeera's Sinem Koseoglu, reporting from Istanbul, said Ankara "does not see everything eye-to-eye with international coalition members" when it comes to the fight against ISIL in Syria."Especially cooperating with SDF, that is something critical, a taboo for Turkey," she said.Koseoglu added that Turkish officials see such mediation efforts "as an attempt to legitimise the PKK and YPG under the name of SDF in terms of fighting against ISIL".Erdogan's comments on Friday came less than two weeks after Turkish forces and Free Syrian Army rebels drove YPG fighters from Afrin city in northern Syria.Also at the AK Party meeting, Erdogan saidHe said Ankara would expand its military operations to Ayn al-Arab, Tal Abyad, Rasulayn and Hasakah, a stretch of northern Syria under Kurdish control, which has been described as a "terror corridor".Erdogan added that Turkish forces could even enter Iraq's Sinjar province "all of a sudden" and "deal with the terrorists there."</s>ISTANBUL: Turkey on Friday turned down a French offer to mediate with the Syrian Democratic Forces dominated by a Kurdish militia deemed a terrorist outfit by Ankara, a presidential spokesman said.

"We reject any efforts to promote 'dialogue', 'contact' or 'mediation' between Turkey and those terrorist organisations," Ibrahim Kalin wrote on Twitter.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday said he hoped "a dialogue" could be established between the two sides with help from Paris and the international community, after he met a delegation of Syrian and Arab fighters. The backbone of the SDF is the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia which has been driven out of its Afrin stronghold by a Turkish offensive in northern Syria.

The YPG is the military wing of the main Syrian Kurdish political movement, the Democratic Union Party (PYD). The Turkish military began its offensive against the YPG in January, targeting the group over its ties with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) which has waged an insurgency inside Turkey since 1984 and which Ankara blacklists as a terror organisation.

"Turkey's position on PKK/PYD/YPG, which seeks to legitimise itself as SDF, is perfectly clear," Kalin said, warning Paris against taking any steps which could be construed as legitimising terror groups. "The countries we consider friends and allies must take a clear stand against all forms of terrorism," he said.

"The various names and disguises cannot hide the true identity of the terrorist organisation."

France, as well as Turkey's NATO ally the United States, sees the SDF as a key force in the fight against Islamic State jihadists in Syria.

During the meeting with the delegation, Macron acknowledged the "role of the SDF in the fight against Daesh", an Arabic acronym for IS, the Elysee said.</s>Istanbul (AFP) - Turkey on Friday rejected a French offer to mediate with the Syrian Democratic Forces which is dominated by a Kurdish militia blacklisted by Ankara, condemning Paris' "wrong stance".

French President Emmanuel Macron offered late on Thursday to facilitate dialogue between the two sides after he met a delegation of Kurdish and Arab fighters.

Macron said he hoped this could be set up with help from Paris and the international community.

Turkey dismissed it out of hand in a move likely to further fuel tension with France, which has expressed clear concerns over an ongoing Turkish military operation in northern Syria.

Macron's comments were not well received by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who said he was "extremely saddened by France's... wrong stance".

"We have no need for mediation... Since when has Turkey had an issue of sitting down at the table with terror organisation?" Erdogan thundered during a speech in Ankara.

Presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said on Twitter that Turkey rejected "any efforts to promote 'dialogue', 'contact' or 'mediation' between Ankara and those terrorist organisations".

"It is not possible to say a country which welcomes the YPG at the Elysee is unbiased. You are already on the side of terrorists," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said.

The backbone of the SDF is the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), a militia group which has been driven out of its Afrin stronghold by the Turkish offensive.

The YPG is the military wing of the main Syrian Kurdish political movement, the Democratic Union Party (PYD).

The Turkish military launched its offensive against the YPG in January, targeting the group over its ties with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) which has waged an insurgency inside Turkey since 1984 and which Ankara blacklists as a terror group.

"Turkey's position on PKK/PYD/YPG, which seeks to legitimise itself as SDF, is perfectly clear," Kalin said, warning Paris against taking any steps which could be construed as legitimising terror groups.

"The countries we consider friends and allies must take a clear stand against all forms of terrorism," he said.

"The various names and disguises cannot hide the true identity of the terrorist organisation."

Both France and the United States have worked closely with YPG fighters in the battle against Islamic State jihadists in Syria.

During Thursday's talks, Macron acknowledged the "role of the SDF in the fight against Daesh", the Elysee said using an Arabic acronym for IS.

Macron and Erdogan have spoken several times on the phone since Turkey's operation began on January 20.

But the Turkish president said that Macron had made "strange remarks" in a call about Syria last week. "I was forced to point it out to him, even if the tone was a bit raised," he said, without giving details.

Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag took a much tougher line, lashing out at France and warning that any country cooperating with "terrorists" would be on Turkey's radar.

"France's assurance of support for PYD/YPG/YPJ terror organisations is clear cooperation and solidarity with terror groups attacking Turkey," wrote Bozdag on Twitter.

YPJ is the women's force within the YPG.

Kurdish official Asya Abdullah told reporters after the meeting with Macron that France was planning on sending "new French troops to Manbij" -- an area east of Afrin where Turkey has threatened to expand its campaign.

"The cooperation will be reinforced," she said.

But Macron's office on Friday said it was not planning any new military operation on the ground in northern Syria outside the international coalition against IS.

Before the statement, Bozdag warned that those working with terror groups would become Turkey's target and hoped France would not take such an "irrational step".

"Those who cooperate with terror groups against Turkey ... and attack Turkey alongside terrorists will get the same treatment that we inflict upon those terrorists," said Bozdag, who is also the government spokesman.

About 10 days into the Turkish operation in Syria, Macron had incensed Turkish officials by saying France would have a "real problem" if the campaign turned out to be an "invasion operation".

The comments drew a sharp response from Turkish authorities, saying that Turkey has never been "colonialist" in its history, urging Paris to look at its own past.

On March 18, Turkish forces and their rebel allies took full control of Afrin, with the YPG largely withdrawing without a fight.</s>Paris’s offer to mediate between Ankara and the YPG Syrian Kurdish militia has provoked outrage from the Turkish government.

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said the move amounted to supporting terrorism, and could make France “a target of Turkey.” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described Paris’s move, as a “show of hostility against Turkey.”

French President Emmanuel Macron made the mediation offer after meeting a delegation of the Syrian Defense Force (SDF), which included prominent members of the YPG militia and its political wing, PYD. Ankara accuses the YPG of being affiliated to the PKK which is waging an insurgency inside Turkey. Friday the PKK was blamed for an attack on Turkish security forces that killed at least 5.

“We do not need a mediator. Since when has Turkey been sitting at a table with terrorist organizations? Where did you get this from? You can sit at the table with terrorist organizations. But Turkey fights against terrorist organizations in places like Afrin [in Syria],” said Erdogan Friday at a meeting of his supporters.

 

 “France no longer has the right to complain about the actions of any terror organization on its soil after meeting with the representatives of the PYD and its armed wing, the People Protection Units (YPG)," Erdogan added.

In a statement, the French presidency said along with mediation, it was prepared to support the creation of a stabilization region to facilitate the SDF fight against Islamic State. The statement “paid tribute to the sacrifices and the determining role" of the SDF in fighting against the jihadist group. Ankara accuses the SDF of being a front for the YPG Kurdish militia.

 

 Symbolic victory for YPG

Ankara’s fury appears to be exacerbated by claims by those attending the Paris meeting that France was ready to deploy forces to northern Syria as part of efforts to protect Kurdish forces. Paris has not confirmed those claims. France, like the United States, has provided arms to the SDF, including members of the YPG, as well as deploying special forces in the fight against Islamic State, much to Ankara’s anger.

But analysts suggest even if claims of a French military deployment prove unfounded, the symbolism of President Macron for the first time hosting members of the YPG at the Elysse Palace, is a significant victory for the militia.

“Well, it legitimizes people that Turkey calls terrorists,” points out political columnist Semih Idiz, of the al-Monitor website. “And we may expect these same people now to appear in other European countries, Germany, Austria and other places. This has potential to add new higher-level tensions between Turkish European relations.”

Ankara’s strong pushback against Paris could also be a sign that Europe could be considering taking a more assertive stance towards Turkey.

“If you look at the way the European Union has closed ranks against Russia, we could end up with a similar situation with Turkey. A block could be developing against Turkey centered on not so much the YPG but the Kurdish issue,” warns columnist Idiz.

European leaders, including Macron are facing growing domestic disapproval of what critics claim is the abandoning of Kurdish fighters, who had successfully fought Islamic State.

Erdogan Friday announced preparations were underway for a new offensive in Syria against the Kurdish militia, promising to sweep across northern Syria to the Iraqi border. The next declared target of Turkish-led forces is the Syrian town of Manbij, where U.S. forces are deployed with the YPG.

Analysts suggests Erdogan will likely be emboldened by U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement Thursday he would pull U.S. forces from Syria. The U.S. State Department, however, said there was no change in Syrian policy, while the Pentagon reaffirmed support for the SDF in its fight against the Islamic State.

But Ankara’s strong pushback against Paris is indicative of what observers claim is Erdogan’s belief that none of its Western allies are ready to confront it over its Syrian intervention.

“This is what President Erdogan’s brinkmanship is based on, having had his way in Afrin, he is feeling rather bullish about this and he is going to press on,” warns columnist Idiz.

“We are heading for some confrontation, especially over Manbij. But it is true there seems to be very little that Europe and the West generally can do. Erdogan is set to continue on his path because he believes he can get what he wants.”</s>ISTANBUL (Reuters) - France's promise to back Syrian forces led by a Kurdish militia amounts to support for and legitimization of terrorist groups, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said on Friday.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday assured the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), dominated by the Kurdish YPG, of Paris' support to stabilize northeastern Syria against Islamic State.

 "Those who enter into cooperation and solidarity with terror groups against Turkey...will, like the terrorists, become a target of Turkey," Bozdag wrote on Twitter. "We hope France does not take such an irrational step."

 

 (Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Dominic Evans)</s>France has offered to mediate between Turkey and the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces, and assured the SDF of Paris' support in stabilizing northern Syria, President Emmanuel Macron's office said on Thursday.



Speaking after Macron met a delegation from northern Syria that included the Kurdish YPG militia, Khaled Eissa, a Kurdish official based in Paris, said Macron had promised to send French troops to Manbij to support the fight against Islamic State and dissuade Turkey from advancing on the town.



The president's office declined to comment on that.
The government of Turkey rejects the government of France's offer to mediate in the conflict between Turkish armed forces and Kurdish YPG militia in Syria.