Kremlin: If Kurds Don't Withdraw, Turkey will Target Them

Click to read the article in Turkish

Kremlin Spokesperson Dimitry Peskov has warned the Kurdish forces to withdraw from border areas, otherwise, they will be "crushed by the Turkish military machine."

Presidents Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Vladimir Putin reached a deal yesterday (October 22) in Russia's Sochi for the removal of the People's Defense Units (YPG) to a depth of 30 kilometers from the Turkey-Syria border.

CLICK - Erdoğan, Putin Agree to Remove YPG from Turkey-Syria Border Within 150 Hours

Erdoğan and US Vice-President Mike Pence last week made a similar deal, which led to the withdrawal of the Kurdish forces from the area including Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ayn.

However, US President's Special Representative for Syria Engagement James Jeffrey said he doubts if the YPG will comply with the agreement between Turkey and Russia.

"US abandoned the Kurds"

When asked about Jeffrey's comment, Peskov said, "The United States was the closest ally of the Kurds over the past few years. But in the end, the US abandoned the Kurds, actually betraying them. The US opted to abandon the Kurds on the border, almost forcing them to fight against the Turks," Russia's state-run TASS reported.

Peskov further said it is "absolutely clear that if the Kurdish forces fail to pull out, then forces of Russia and Syria will have to pull back," paving the way for Turkey's military involvement. "In fact, the remaining Kurdish units will be crushed by the Turkish military machine," he noted.

On the deal between Ankara and Moscow, Jeffrey said yesterday, "All I know it will stop the Turks from moving forward. Whether the Russians will ever live up to their commitment, which is very vague, to ... get the YPG out of their areas, I don't know."

What does the deal say on the border areas?

According to yesterday's deal, the YPG elements and their weapons will be removed to a depth of 30 kilometers from the border within 150 hours. once the removal is completed, Turkey and Russia will conduct joint patrols in a 10-kilometer deep area in the east and west of Operation Peace Spring territory.

Russia's military police and Syrian border guards will also enter areas outside the Operation Peace Spring zone.

Turkey launched the "Operation Peace Spring" on October 9, aiming to clear a 32-kilometer deep area from the YPG and set-up a "safe zone" to settle Syrian refugees it currently hosts. (PT/VK)