Local Syrian officials deny that aid groups are fleeing potential ‘hot zones’
On Wednesday, the Syrian Observer reported that the recent relocation of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from Amude and Derik to Ain al-Issa to avoid being caught in a “hot zone,” amid repeated threats by Ankara to send troops into the territory.
The article claimed that the decision “points to a belief that the ‘safe zone’ will be a hot zone, since international organizations do not operate in conflict zones or in areas that have more than one military force.”
Officials from the Democratic Autonomous Administration (DAA) in northeastern Syria, however, denied the reports to Kurdistan 24 on Sunday.
“There is nothing true about the news that the NGOs are closing or moving their offices,” said Zozan Alloush, the DAA’s Co-chair of Humanitarian Affairs. “It’s just some projects are finished in some places and Kobani, Qamishli, and Derik are not in an emergency situation.”
“We are in Ain al-Issa. It’s a very safe place now, and a very strategic location and NGOs prefer to move their offices to Ain al-Issa to be close to Raqqa, Manbij, Tabqa, and Deir al-Zor also,” she said.
“The NGOs prefer to be near to us. No project has stopped until now. They continue to operate in every place where there are needs.”
A DAA statement read, “Some media are using propaganda and connecting this news with the possibility of conducting [the] buffer zone and Turkish threats… We would clarify that the majority of NGOs who are operating in self-administration area are relief NGOs and they implement projects in terms of emergency situations.”
“So, it’s logical to have offices in the area which is close and accessible to their field. The process of moving offices has started since the liberation of Raqqa until now,” the statement added.
An anonymous source affiliated to international organizations in northern Syria told Kurdistan 24 that NGOs operating in the area are indeed now expanding their work to Ain al-Issa to more effectively cover nearby Raqqa, Tabqa, and Deir al-Zor.
“That's because most of the funding is slowly going to the newly liberated areas,” said the source, adding that international organizations still have their bases and main offices in Derik, Kobani, and Amude. “Some are now opening sub-offices in Ain al-Issa. Donors want to respond where the needs are higher, as usual.”
So far, there are no official specific plans for such a safe zone, despite US President Donald Trump’s social media posts to the contrary in January.
Nevertheless, the White House announced on Thursday that it will leave some 200 US troops in eastern Syria, even after the planned withdrawal of its 2000 forces now deployed there. This position makes more likely the creation of the buffer zone along the Turkish-Syrian border that will include the presence of international observers.
Reuters reported that even the latest US figure of 200 troops to remain in country, though, are “not firm and could still change.”
Editing by John J. Catherine
