The presidents of Turkey and Russia outlined a plan late Tuesday to divvy up territory and control of large parts of Syria after the U.S. withdrawal from the region and the Turkish military’s offensive to drive out Kurdish fighters. Russian military police and Syrian border guards will oversee the removal of Kurdish troops and their weapons. Kurdish forces are also to withdraw from towns of Manbij and Tal Rifaat, which are situated farther west, near the city of Aleppo. Some, if not all, Kurdish forces may have already pulled out of the two towns, replaced by Syrian government troops and Russian forces. The dispute about Kurdish forces represents the latest turn in the Syrian war, which began in 2011 with anti-government street protests.

Source: Los Angeles Times October 22, 2019 14:41 UTC