The Turkish Ministry of Defense has announced the start of operations by the coordination unit consisting of Turkey, Syria, and Jordan in Damascus to combat the Islamic State organization.
Zaki Akturk, the spokesperson for the Turkish Ministry of Defense, stated in a press conference today, Thursday, May 29, that the joint coordination unit to combat the organization of the state began its mission in Syria on May 19, with individuals from Turkey appointed to the coordination unit.
Akturk added that “decentralized and separatist agendas in Syria will not be allowed to cooperate with the Syrian government at all,” pointing out that Ankara closely monitors the agreement between the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces to ensure regional stability and security.
Akturk confirmed that Turkey’s position has not changed regarding the necessity of having the Syrian army as the only armed structure in the country, as well as integrating the SDF into the Syrian army.
The Turkish Defense also discussed the details of its military operations, where 156 people were arrested, including 6 members of terrorist organizations, on the Syrian-Turkish border during the past week.
Since January 1st, 2335 people have been arrested on the borders, in addition to the destruction of 132 kilometers of tunnels in the Syrian operations area in Tel Rifaat and 108 kilometers in the Manbij area.
### Amman.. Preparatory Arrangements
In March, in the Jordanian capital, Amman, foreign ministers of Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, and Turkey, as well as defense ministers, chiefs of staff, and intelligence directors, met.
During the meeting, an agreement was reached to launch a joint operations center for coordination and cooperation in combating the Islamic State organization, supporting existing regional and international efforts to eliminate the organization’s threat to Syria’s security, the region, and the world, and dealing with the prisons of its elements.
On May 20, the Turkish-American Joint Task Force on Syria announced that it would enhance cooperation between Ankara and Washington in Syria to maintain the territorial integrity of Syria.
The task force said in a statement, “The two delegations discussed the common priorities of the two countries regarding Syria, including lifting sanctions in line with Trump’s instructions, combating terrorism in all its forms.”
In contrast, Syria affirmed its coordination with Iraq in various fields, as stated by the Syrian Foreign Minister, Asaad Al-Shaaban, who visited the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, on Friday, May 16, to participate in the Arab summit.
Al-Shaaban, upon his arrival in Baghdad, said, “Our security is common with Iraq, and we have high coordination since the liberation of Syria on December 8, 2024.”
Al-Shaaban added that coordination between Syria and Iraq will not be limited to security only, but will also extend to all political, economic, and investment fields.
Al-Shaaban considered that “what harms Syria harms Iraq, and what harms Iraq harms Syria… and we live in one geography.”
In turn, the Lebanese President, Michel Aoun, stated that relations between Lebanon and Syria are beginning to take a positive direction.
مقال له علاقة: حمل الكشوفات الآن.. اسماء المشمولين بالرعاية الاجتماعية دفعة يناير 2024 العراق عموم المحافظات عبر وزارة العمل والشؤون الاجتماعية
Aoun pointed out that his administration will take steps to develop relations and discuss common issues between Lebanon and Syria, including demarcation of borders, transit, combating smuggling, and fighting the Islamic State.
Syrian-Lebanese relations have taken a different direction after the fall of the previous regime, bringing together various issues, with the common border being one of the most prominent.
The Syrian and Lebanese governments are trying to control these borders and stop the chaos between them, as the Lebanese army constantly announces the closure of illegal crossings between the two sides.
### Activity of the “State” Organization
The Islamic State organization has shown some activity in recent weeks, attacking the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) with a different approach.
On May 19, a member of the SDF was killed and another was injured following an attack by the Islamic State organization on a point belonging to the SDF in the town of Al-Bahra in the Hajin district, east of Deir ez-Zor.
The SDF stated that the Islamic State’s attack was the tenth of its kind since the beginning of the current month, noting that the continuous attacks by the organization on its military points “reflect the challenges it faces and highlight the importance of its work in striking at the roots of terrorism and maintaining security and stability in the region.”
The Syrian government’s share of Islamic State attacks has been different, as it has not been directly attacked but has established cells within cities, posing a threat of potential strikes after repeated calls by the Islamic State for what is known as “migrants” (foreign fighters) to join its ranks.
The most recent confrontation between the Syrian government and the Islamic State organization took place in the Al-Haidariyah neighborhood of eastern Aleppo on May 17, resulting in the killing of one member of the organization and the arrest of four others, in addition to the killing of a member of the public security.