Operation in Northeast Syria to Undermine Coalition’s Efforts to Counter IS — EU

A military operation in northeastern Syria would undermine the international coalition’s efforts to counter the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group (outlawed in Russia), EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini said, TASS reports.

"Military action in northeast of Syria would exacerbate civilian suffering, undermine current work of the Global Coalition against Daesh, and make prospects for the UN led political process to achieve peace in the country even more difficult," the EU top diplomat wrote on her Twitter page.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on October 1 that Ankara intended to act on its own to set up a safety zone east of the Euphrates River in Syria, because it failed to attain the intended goals in the course of phone consultations with the US side. On October 6, Erdogan held a phone conversation with Trump, during which the US side said it would not join the planned Turkish military operation in Syria or support it in any way, while US servicemen will be withdrawn from the immediate area of it.

On Monday, the United States, who sided with the Syrian Democratic Forces alliance in the fight against the Islamic State terrorist group (outlawed in Russia), started withdrawing their personnel and military hardware from their bases in Ras al-Ain and Tell Abyad.