Turkish Military Confirms Arrival of 6 US Servicemen for Creation of Safe Zone in Syria

ANKARA (Sputnik) - Earlier on Monday, the Haberturk broadcaster said 90 US military personnel had arrived in the province of Sanliurfa and had been delivered to the centre's premises in the town of Akcakale on the border with Syria. US troops were flown to Turkey's Sanliurfa Province and taken to the border city of Akcakale, the channel said.

The Turkish Defense Ministry has confirmed the arrival of six US military personnel who will be involved in the work of the coordination centre for joint operations and the planned security zone in northern Syria.

Washington and Ankara announced a deal last week on a buffer zone between Turkey and US-backed Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria. Turkish authorities consider them to be an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is banned in the country.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had previously threatened to invade the territory east of the Euphrates River to secure the border from Kurdish forces.

In this photo taken Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018, Turkish and U.S. troops conduct joint patrols around the Syrian town of Manbij, as part of an agreement that aimed to ease tensions between the two NATO allies

© AP Photo / Turkish Defence Ministry

The Syrian government has objected to the US-Turkish deal as an attack on its sovereignty because both countries' militaries are operating in Syria without permission from Damascus.