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US Official Urges ‘De-escalation’ as Türkiye Strikes Syria 

A Türkiye-backed Syrian fighter positions on the outskirts of the town of Kuljibrin, in the country's northern Aleppo governorate, facing positions of the Kurdish-controlled area of Tal Rifaat, on November 25, 2022. (AFP)
A Türkiye-backed Syrian fighter positions on the outskirts of the town of Kuljibrin, in the country's northern Aleppo governorate, facing positions of the Kurdish-controlled area of Tal Rifaat, on November 25, 2022. (AFP)
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US Official Urges ‘De-escalation’ as Türkiye Strikes Syria 

A Türkiye-backed Syrian fighter positions on the outskirts of the town of Kuljibrin, in the country's northern Aleppo governorate, facing positions of the Kurdish-controlled area of Tal Rifaat, on November 25, 2022. (AFP)
A Türkiye-backed Syrian fighter positions on the outskirts of the town of Kuljibrin, in the country's northern Aleppo governorate, facing positions of the Kurdish-controlled area of Tal Rifaat, on November 25, 2022. (AFP)

A US official in Syria on Friday called for an “immediate de-escalation” following days of deadly airstrikes and shelling along the Syria-Türkiye border, saying the actions destabilize the region and undermine the fight against the ISIS group. 

Türkiye this week launched a wave of airstrikes on suspected Kurdish rebels hiding in neighboring Syria and Iraq, in retaliation for a deadly Nov. 13 bombing in Istanbul that Ankara blames on the Kurdish groups. 

The groups have denied involvement in the bombing and say the Turkish strikes have killed civilians and threatened the anti-ISIS fight. 

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said that 67 civilians, gunmen and soldiers, have been killed in Turkish attacks in northern Syria since the airstrikes began. 

Nikolas Granger, the US senior representative to northeastern Syria, said Washington “strongly opposes military action that further destabilizes the lives of communities and families in Syria and we want immediate de-escalation.” 

The developments are “unacceptably dangerous and we are deeply concerned,” said Granger, who is currently in Syria, and added that the strikes also endanger US military personnel there. 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened a new land invasion of northern Syria targeting Kurdish groups. On Friday, he said Türkiye would continue its “struggle against all kinds of terror inside and outside our borders.” 

Türkiye and the United States both consider the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, a terror group for the decades long insurgency and attacks the group has staged within Türkiye’s borders. 

But they disagree on the status of the main Kurdish faction in Syria, the People’s Protection Units, or YPG. The Syrian Kurdish group has been a key US ally in the fight against ISIS. 

Türkiye has carried out three major incursions into northern Syria since 2016 and its forces still control part of the country. 

Kurdish officials in Syria have been warning that any new Turkish incursion would disrupt the fight against ISIS, which still has sleeper cells and has carried out deadly attacks in recent months against the Syrian Kurdish-led opposition forces as well as Syrian government forces. 

“We take these threats seriously and prepare to confront any ground attacks,” Siamand Ali, a spokesman for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces told The Associated Press. 

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Syria’s Reconciliation Committee Prioritizes Stability after Anger Over Prisoner Releases

Member of the High Committee for National Reconciliation Hassan Soufan and the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Facebook)
Member of the High Committee for National Reconciliation Hassan Soufan and the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Facebook)
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Syria’s Reconciliation Committee Prioritizes Stability after Anger Over Prisoner Releases

Member of the High Committee for National Reconciliation Hassan Soufan and the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Facebook)
Member of the High Committee for National Reconciliation Hassan Soufan and the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Facebook)

Syria’s High Committee for National Reconciliation has defended recent controversial prisoner releases, saying the decision aims to preserve national stability amid ongoing tensions.

Committee member Hassan Soufan confirmed that several officers recently freed had voluntarily surrendered in 2021 at the Iraqi border and in the Al-Sukhna region, under a formal request for safe conduct.

Speaking at a press conference in Damascus on Tuesday, Soufan addressed public backlash following the releases and acknowledged the deep pain felt by victims’ families.

“We fully understand the anger and grief of the families of martyrs,” he said. “But the current phase requires decisions that can help secure relative stability for the coming period.”

The controversy erupted after the Ministry of Interior announced on Sunday the release of dozens of detainees in Latakia, many of whom were arrested during the “Deterrence of Aggression” operation, which contributed to the fall of the Assad regime.

Among those involved in the mediation effort was Fadi Saqr, a former commander in the regime’s National Defense Forces, who has been accused of war crimes, including involvement in the Tadamon massacre in southern Damascus.

Soufan explained that the released officers had undergone investigation and were found not to have participated in war crimes. “Keeping them imprisoned no longer serves a national interest,” he said. “It has no legal justification.”

He stressed that Syria is in a delicate phase of national reconciliation, in which balancing justice and peace is critical.

“There are two parallel tracks - transitional justice and civil peace - and today, the priority is civil peace, as it lays the groundwork for all other strategic efforts,” he said.

Soufan added that the committee has requested expanded powers from the Syrian president, including the authority to release detainees not proven guilty and to coordinate directly with state institutions.

He insisted that the aim is not to bypass justice, but to prevent further bloodshed. “Vengeance and retribution are not paths to justice,” he said. “They allow real criminals to slip away while deepening divisions.”

While affirming that transitional justice remains essential, Soufan noted that it should focus on top perpetrators of atrocities, not individuals who merely served under the regime. “Justice means accountability for those who planned and carried out major crimes, not blanket punishment.”