from The Anti Media:

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has warned US-backed Kurdish forces he would not hesitate to use force to retake the third of the country they control.

He told Russia Today in an interview aired on Thursday that he favoured negotiations with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a Kurdish-led outfit supported by the US-led coalition.

“If not, we’re going to resort to liberate these areas by force,” Assad said.

He added that direct conflict between his ally Russia and the United States in Syria had only been narrowly avoided.

“We were close to having direct conflict between the Russian forces and the American forces.”

Fighting erupted at the end of April between government forces and SDF fighters in the oil-rich Deir Ezzor province, formerly held by the Islamic State (IS) group, driven out of the overwhelming majority of the region under the blow of multiple offensives.

The province had been the subject of a race between the Russian-backed Assad government forces and the SDF, each trying to outpace its rival.

Today, Assad controls the city of Deir Ezzor, capital of the province of the same name, but also the entire west bank of the Euphrates, while the SDF are stationed on the eastern shore.

Manbij Deal
In northern Syria, Turkish and US officials last week agreed on a “roadmap” for further cooperation to ensure the security of a Kurdish-held city which became a major headache between the NATO allies, according to a joint statement.

The northern city of Manbij is held by the People’s Protection Units (YPG) pro-Kurdish militia, a group which Ankara says is the “terrorist” offshoot of Kurdish hardliners in Turkey, and which is part of the SDF.

The US has a military presence in Manbij and has provided military support to the YPG in the fight against IS, causing anger among Turkish officials.

After Turkey launched a cross-border operation against the YPG in the western enclave of Afrin in January, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to take the offensive to Manbij. The prospect raised fears of a confrontation between Turkish and American troops.

The offensive also caused tension between the allies because Washington urged Turkey to show “restraint” and said it could harm the fight against IS.

US officials were in Ankara on Friday as part of a working group on Syria. After talks with Turkish counterparts, the statement was issued by the Turkish foreign ministry and the US embassy in Ankara.

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