Small Wars Journal

Turkey-Syria Offensive: What are ‘Safe Zones’ and Do They Work?

Sat, 11/02/2019 - 9:37am

Turkey-Syria Offensive: What are ‘Safe Zones’ and Do They Work? By Joshua Nevitt – BBC News

Russian and Turkish troops have begun patrolling what Turkey says is a "safe zone" in north-east Syria.

The Turkish plan is designed in part to house Syrian refugees in a secure area along its border with Syria, as well as to keep it free from Kurdish fighters it regards as terrorists.

The concept seems simple, in theory. But in practice - as conflicts from Bosnia and Rwanda to Iraq and Sri Lanka have shown - making safe zones work is more difficult…

Read on.