The American pullback from parts of northeastern Syria could help breathe new life into the Islamic State group if fighting erupts between the Kurds and Turkey. Syrian Kurdish authorities are already struggling to guard IS fighters captured during the long U.S.-backed campaign against the militants and to keep a lid on IS supporters and family members thronging displacement camps. Their hold will suffer even more if they are fighting Turkey. Source Japan Times
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Turkey’s military offensive into northeast Syria is as “vital” to Turkey as its 1974 military intervention in Cyprus, which split the island in two.
In a speech he delivered in Baku, Azerbaijan on Monday, Erdogan also made clear Turkey would not halt its offensive despite the widespread condemnation it has drawn. Source Ekathimerini
- Comments made during Xi’s visit to Nepal being seen as aimed at trouble spots from Tibet and Xinjiang to Hong Kong
- President’s remarks are also wider warning to US not to meddle in China’s domestic issues, such as Hong Kong, academic says Source South China Morning Post
Officials say joint French-Cypriot naval maneuvers off Cyprus aim to assist the east Mediterranean island nation fulfill its duties as a sovereign country. French Defense Minister Florence Parly said in a tweet Saturday that the exercises would enable Cyprus to “assume its responsibilities in its sovereign waters.” Source Navy Times
