US rules out troop increase to Syria for joint Turkey patrols

The US military on Friday ruled out sending additional troops to carry out joint patrols with Turkey in northeastern Syria.

The joint patrols, which began last week, are part of an agreement reached in August to establish a "safe zone" to ease tensions between Ankara and US-backed Kurdish forces.

"We're not going to increase our footprint on the ground in order to conduct those patrols," General Kenneth McKenzie, head of US Central Command, said, according to Reuters.

"We're going to do patrolling with the Turks (and) we'll manage that within the current number while actively seeking opportunities to get smaller over time."

US President Donald Trump ordered a complete withdrawal of troops from Syria last year, but around 1,000 remain in the war-torn country to ensure the Islamic State cannot stage a comeback.

Since last year, Erdogan has repeatedly threatened to launch an assault east of the Euphrates river against the YPG, which fought against the Islamic State (IS) group.

Turkey previously conducted cross-border operations in northern Syria supporting Syrian rebels in 2016 against IS and in early 2018 against the YPG.

Ankara says the YPG militia is a "terrorist" offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party.

Ties between Turkey and the United States have strained over a host of issues in recent months, including Ankara’s acquisition of Russian S-400 air defence systems.

Syria's conflict has killed more than 370,000 people and driven millions from their homes since it started with the brutal repression of anti-government protests in 2011.