U.S. envoy McGurk meets with Syria’s Raqqa Civilian Council

U.S. envoy McGurk meets with Syria’s Raqqa Civilian Council

Posted on August 18, 2017 by Editorial Staff in Kurdistan

U.S. envoy to the coalition against Islamic State (IS) Brett McGurk in Syrian Kurdistan, August 17, 2017. Photo: ANHA

AYN ISA, Syrian Kurdistan,— U.S. envoy to the coalition against Islamic State (IS) Brett McGurk met with the Raqqa Civilian Council in Ayn Issa in Syrian Kurdistan (northern Syria).

McGurk repeated their promise to support the Civilian Council and said: “The regime will be pulled to the south of the Euphrates River.”

A committee including Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter IS Brett McGurk and Commander Deputy of the Global Coalition Robert Jones and US State Department representatives met with the Raqqa Civil Council in the Euphrates Region Gire Spi Canton’s Ayn Isa district on Thursday.

Raqqa Civil Council Co-chair Leyla Mustafa, council members and regional opinion leaders were present in the meeting.

The meeting started at 12.00 and was closed to the press. After the meeting ended, Raqqa Civil Council Diplomacy Committee Member Omer Alush said they discussed the current situation of the Civil Council and the organizations active in Raqqa and the needs of the Raqqa Civilian Council.

According to council members present in the meeting, among the most important topics discussed in the meeting are the Coalition’s support to the Raqqa Civilian Council in providing water and power, clearing the debris and improving the schools. Council members also said that McGurk repeated their promise to support the Civilian Council.

Council members also stated that about the war in Raqqa, protecting civilians and the city’s infrastructure, McGurk said the Coalition and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces SDF are protecting the civilians and the infrastructure via special methods but sometimes desperate situations arise. Council members said McGurk also spoke of their projects for water and the necessary aid will be provided soon.

According to the council members, when they asked about the Syrian regime closing in on the Raqqa border McGurk said there will be retaliation if the regime crosses certain lines, and that the regime aircrafts are prohibited from flying over Raqqa.

He also mentioned the Coalition’s intervention in the past, when regime jets bombed SDF positions and were then hit and downed. McGurk added that the regime forces will be pushed to the south of the Euphrates River.

The Coalition committee held another meeting with the Raqqa Civil Council rebuilding committee.

U.S regards the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party PYD and its powerful military wing YPG, which is part of Kurd-Arab SDF alliance, as key ally against Islamic State and the most effective fighting force against IS in Syria and has provided them with arms, air support as well as the military advisers.

http://ekurd.net/us-mcgurk-syria-raqqa-2017-08-18