Kurdish official: Syria’s ‘safe zone’ off to a good start

A senior Syrian Kurdish official says the creation of a so-called “safe zone” in northeastern Syria is off to good start, with US-backed Kurdish-led forces pulling back from an initial part of the border with Turkey.

But she says calm can only prevail if Turkey also removes its troops.

Ilham Ahmed of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Council says details are still being worked out but an understanding was reached last month between Ankara and Washington.

It was announced after repeated Turkish threats of a military offensive in northeastern Syria. Turkey views the US-backed Kurdish People’s Protection Units as an extension of a Kurdish insurgency within Turkey.

Ahmed says the arrangement could include joint US-Turkish patrols in areas from which Kurdish-led forces pulled out.

Syrians in Turkey could start returning home.