Pentagon: Exclusion zone in Syria is not a ‘no fly zone’

“We’ve said specifically we will protect coalition forces and our partnered operations” with such USA -backed opposition groups as the Syrian Arab Coalition and the Kurdish militia known as the YPG, or People’s Protection Units.

“We’re going to defend our forces where they are”.

Cook insisted that the USA was not creating no-fly zones over Syria.

After warning Syria not to fly planes in the Hasakeh Province or risk getting them shot down by U.S. planes in the area, the Pentagon is struggling to convince reporters that there is some sort of distinction between this zone you can’t fly in and a “no-fly zone”. Hasakah is a key transit point between Mosul and Raqqah, the two major cities of the Islamic State group’s territory. That incident followed one on Thursday when two USA aircraft responded to Syrian jets conducting airstrikes around Hassakeh.

Fighting erupted between Syrian Army and Kurdish YPG forces in the city of Hasakeh late last week, with the YPG attempting to take the rest of the city, which had always been jointly held and jointly defended, As the fighting escalated, Syrian warplanes bombed Kurdish forces. There are now about 300 American troops in Syria.

“Our warning to the Syrians is the same that we’ve had for some time, that we’re going to defend our forces and they would be advised not to fly in areas where our forces have been operating”, Cook said. The danger from the attack required US forces to be hastily moved out of the area.

Cook says the warnings were communicated to the Syrians through the Russian military.

“If they threaten USA forces, we always have the right to defend our forces”, Cook said.

“We will continue to defend our forces in our fight against ISIL… and as our forces move in Syria and continue their partnered operations we will do what we need to do to protect our forces”.

The U.S. and Syria have no formal military-to-military relationship.

The Pentagon’s warning comes one day after the new commander of US forces fighting ISIS made similar statements. That could extend to US partners like the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG).

In 2013, Gen. Martin Dempsey, then chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Congress that imposing a no-fly zone over Syria would cost as much as $1 billion a month, require thousands of USA troops and put us aircraft at risk of being shot down.