Russian President Vladimir Putin urged his Turkish and Iranian counterparts to work together to bring the Syrian conflict to end during a trilateral summit on Thursday. One of the first measures would be to together eliminate jihadists from Syria's Idlib province, he said.
"It's necessary to agree about ensuring the definitive de-escalation in Idlib," Putin said while meeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
While the ceasefire in the province is holding, "this does not mean that we need to accept the presence of terrorist factions in the Idlib region," the Russian president added. "That is why I suggest considering concrete practical steps, which Russia, Turkey, and Iran can take to completely destroy the terrorist strongholds."
'Ruled by terrorists'
In September, Putin and Erdogan brokered a cease-fire to create a demilitarized buffer zone in the region. However, a faction previously known as the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front has since established dominance in the area, with Russia describing Idlib as a "terrorist nest."
Putin's comments were backed by Rouhani, who said it would be wrong to let Nusra fighters off the hook just because they had changed their name. After the meeting, Erdogan said that safe zones in Syria "should not be left to be ruled by terrorists." Turkey last year created outposts in Idlib to prevent an escalation in the region.
Read more: What do the US, Russia, Turkey want from the Syria conflict?
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Who's fighting in the Syria conflict?
War with no end
Syria has been engulfed in a devastating civil war since 2011 after Syrian President Bashar Assad lost control over large parts of the country to multiple revolutionary groups. The conflict has since drawn in foreign powers and brought misery and death to Syrians.
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Who's fighting in the Syria conflict?
The dictator
Syria's army, officially known as the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), is loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and is fighting to restore the president's rule over the entire country. The SAA has been fighting alongside a number of pro-Assad militias such as the National Defense Force and has cooperated with military advisors from Russia and Iran, which back Assad.
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Who's fighting in the Syria conflict?
The northern watchman
Turkey, which is also part of the US-led coalition against IS, has actively supported rebels opposed to Assad. It has a tense relationship with its American allies over US cooperation with Kurdish fighters, who Ankara says are linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) fighting in Turkey. The Turkish military has intervened alongside rebels in northern Aleppo, Afrin and Idlib province.
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Who's fighting in the Syria conflict?
The eastern guardian
The Kremlin has proven to be a powerful friend to Assad. Russian air power and ground troops officially joined the fight in September 2015 after years of supplying the Syrian army. Moscow has come under fire from the international community for the high number of civilian casualties during its airstrikes. However, Russia's intervention turned the tide in war in favor of Assad.
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Who's fighting in the Syria conflict?
The western allies
A US-led coalition of more than 50 countries, including Germany, began targeting IS and other terrorist targets with airstrikes in late 2014. The anti-IS coalition has dealt major setbacks to the militant group. The US has more than a thousand special forces in the country backing the Syrian Democratic Forces.
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Who's fighting in the Syria conflict?
The rebels
The Free Syrian Army grew out of protests against the Assad regime that eventually turned violent. Along with other non-jihadist rebel groups, it seeks the ouster of President Assad and democratic elections. After suffering a number of defeats, many of its members defected to hardline militant groups. It garnered some support from the US and Turkey, but its strength has been greatly diminished.
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Who's fighting in the Syria conflict?
The resistance
Fighting between Syrian Kurds and Islamists has become its own conflict. The US-led coalition against the "Islamic State" has backed the Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias. The Kurdish YPG militia is the main component of the SDF. The Kurds have had a tacit understanding with Assad.
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Who's fighting in the Syria conflict?
The new jihadists
"Islamic State" (IS) took advantage of regional chaos to capture vast swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria in 2014. Seeking to establish its own "caliphate," IS has become infamous for its fundamentalist brand of Islam and its mass atrocities. IS is on the brink of defeat after the US and Russia led separate military campaigns against the militant group.
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Who's fighting in the Syria conflict?
The old jihadists
IS is not the only terrorist group that has ravaged Syria. A number of jihadist militant groups are fighting in the conflict, warring against various rebel factions and the Assad regime. One of the main jihadist factions is Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, which controls most of Idlib province and has ties with al-Qaeda.
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Who's fighting in the Syria conflict?
The Persian shadow
Iran has supported Syria, its only Arab ally, for decades. Eager to maintain its ally, Tehran has provided Damascus with strategic assistance, military training and ground troops when the conflict emerged in 2011. The Iran-backed Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah also supports the Assad regime, fighting alongside Iranian forces and paramilitary groups in the country.
Author: Elizabeth Schumacher, Alexander Pearson
Russia, a key backer of Syrian President Bashar Assad, has grown increasingly impatient about the presence of militants in Idlib.
"Ankara promised Russia that Turkey would push out armed opposition forces from Idlib, but it could not keep its word," Turkish expert Burak Bilgehan Özpetek told DW.
"We will do all we can to help the Syrian government and its armed forces to solve the problem of liberating their territory," Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday.
Iran also provides significant support to the Assad regime, while Turkey is allied with various opposition groups trying to overthrow Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Read more: Rebuilding Assad's Syria: Who should foot the bill?
Syria's new constitution
Putin, Erdogan and Rouhani also discussed a special committee that would be tasked with drafting Syria's next constitution. Previously, the UN had admitted it was unable to create such committee as Damascus objected to the list of the proposed members.
"Diplomats from our countries, in coordination with interested parties in Syria and the UN put serious work into creating the Constitutional Committee," Putin said in Sochi. "It is important for the committee to start working as soon as possible.
Putin also said there was "sabotage" of the project from outside.
Ahead of the meeting, Russia's top diplomat Lavrov said that Iran, Turkey, and Russia had already presented their own list, but Western countries had "thrown spanners in the works of UN officials, in order to prevent the authorization of the list." Moscow was "ready to search for a solution for this situation," he added.
Read more: US warns Turkey against targeting Kurds in Syria
Turkey's turning point?
The Sochi meeting marks the fourth time leaders of Iran, Russia, and Turkey have met in this format since 2017. The so-called Astana talks involving the three powers have overshadowed efforts by the UN to end the eight-year conflict.
But efforts to end the conflict have stalled with Turkey pushing for a safe zone in northern Syrian. Ankara has accused Syrian Kurdish militias operating near its border of maintaining links with the terrorist-designated Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Turkey.
Washington in December announced the withdrawal of 2,000 US troops from Syria, but warned Turkey against attacking Kurds in the area. Shortly afterward, US President Donald Trump threatened to "devastate Turkey economically" if it attacked Kurds in Syria. For Iran, the players must strike a balance between the US withdrawal, protecting Syrian Kurds and maintaining Turkish security.
"If Turkey remains at odds with the US over the buffer zone, we will be able to observe Turkey getting even closer to Russia," Kerim Has, formerly with the University of Moscow, told DW's Turkish department. "Maybe Sochi will pose a turning point for Turkey's Syria policy. The situation keeps getting more tangled, but time is running out for Ankara."
Read more: Russia encroaches on US war industry in Middle East
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Kobane awaits Turkey’s next move in northern Syria
PKK graffiti in Kobane
Turkey sees no difference between the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northern Syria and the PKK organization in Turkey. The PKK is also considered a terrorist organization by the US and the EU, however, the western allies have supported SDF in their fight against the "Islamic State" (IS) group.
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Kobane awaits Turkey’s next move in northern Syria
Taking a stand
Adla Bakir, head of the Kongra Star organization, an umbrella for women’s groups in Rojava, recalls how she gave an oath to serve the people in the opening stages of the Kurdish revolution in 2011. The revolution’s emphasis on gender rights has empowered women to become fighters, politicians and activists.
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Kobane awaits Turkey’s next move in northern Syria
Protecting their neighborhood
Elderly women from the Society Protection Units set up nightly roadblocks in Kobane. The force is led by male and female volunteers, and is independent of the official police and armed forces. The volunteers are drawn from across all communes in the city, with the aim to swiftly mobilize forces in the event of an attack, and to prevent a repeat of the 2015 civilian massacre by IS.
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Kobane awaits Turkey’s next move in northern Syria
A welcome diversion
A Kurdish fighter serving with the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Kobane enjoys some time with his son. He, like many other soldiers, is deployed in close proximity to his home and family. The Turkish border is a few hundred meters away.
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Kobane awaits Turkey’s next move in northern Syria
A grim reminder
The funeral of a Kurdish SDF fighter in Kobane. He was killed while fighting against IS forces in Deir Ezzor province in November. Despite US President Donald Trump's claim that IS has been defeated, the battle along the Euphrates river is far from over.
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Kobane awaits Turkey’s next move in northern Syria
Remembering the dead
Martyrs’ Center in Kobane. Following years of clandestine work, the center was able to open publicly following the revolution in 2011. It functions as a social hub, supporting the families of those killed by Turkish, Syrian or IS forces.
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Kobane awaits Turkey’s next move in northern Syria
A brief respite
Soldiers from the SDF at a military base in Deir Ezzor province. Posters of the Kurdish ideological leader, Abdullah Öcalan and other prominent figures, adorn the walls. Following threats of an invasion by Turkey, some forces were redeployed from the fight against IS to the 500-kilometer (310 miles) long Turkish border.
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Kobane awaits Turkey’s next move in northern Syria
A glimmer of hope?
Men at a Kebab shop in Kobane cautiously welcome the news that US forces will stay in Syria for the time being. The comments by US National Security Adviser John Bolton appeared to put the brakes on a withdrawal abruptly announced by Donald Trump last month and initially expected to be completed within weeks.
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Kobane awaits Turkey’s next move in northern Syria
Protests gather pace
Demonstrators in Kobane, made up mostly of school children, protest against the Turkish shelling of Kurdish villages in November.
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Kobane awaits Turkey’s next move in northern Syria
Taking a break
Youths in Kobane make their way back from the funeral of a Kurdish fighter. Kurdish residents fear that another military onslaught is imminent.
Author: Benas Gerdziunas (Kobane)
ls, dj/rt (AFP, Interfax, dpa)
