Further uncertainty was thrown on the complex situation in northern Syria, where Syrian Kurdish groups have taken control of large swathes of resource-rich territory, when U.S. President Donald Trump announced a full troop withdrawal last December.
The predominantly Kurdish groups, including the Peoples’ Protection Units (YPG) and its multi-ethnic affiliates the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), were a vital part of the U.S.-backed coalition to defeat the Islamic State (IS).
Turkey, however, sees the YPG and SDF as terror groups due to their links to Kurdish insurgents within its own borders.
Meanwhile, the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has vowed to take back all territory it controlled before the beginning of the conflict in 2011, including the areas currently controlled by the Syrian Kurds and their allies.
The German and U.S. governments have held secret talks on a safe zone proposed in January to prevent a Turkish attack on the Kurdish groups after the U.S. withdrawal, and Berlin has signalled its readiness to deploy its air force to that end, Deutsche Welle reported.
The deployment would give air support to a safe zone designed to protect the Syrian Kurdish groups "both from Turkey and the Assad regime", the news report said.
German troops are stationed in Jordan to provide logistical support for the coalition against IS, and if the German parliament agrees to extend their deployment past October, the German air force could provide support for the planned safe zone in Syria, Deutsche Welle said.
While no decision has yet been made, the issue is likely to be discussed during U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s visit to Germany this week, the German outlet said.
Reporter's code: 50101