WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The United States is unable to establish and maintain a buffer zone in Syria as it does not possess the required logistical support, US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Mark Toner told reporters on Monday.
“As to the creation of a zone or no-fly zone, or whatever we call it, we’ve been clear about the fact that we don’t think it’s necessary. We don’t think it’s feasible on the ground. It involves a lot of logistical support that we don’t have in place right now to maintain such a venture,” Toner said.
Previously, Turkey proposed a buffer zone in northern Syria, but the United States and NATO do not support this initiative.
Syria is currently in a state of civil war, with government forces fighting on multiple fronts against a moderate opposition and several radical Islamist groups, including ISIL.
Russia commenced precision airstrikes on ISIL targets in Syria on September 30, following a request from Syrian President Bashar Assad.
The advance of the ISIL extremist group is also being countered by efforts of Iraqi and Syrian government forces, Kurdish troops and a US-led international coalition of over 60 countries conducting airstrikes on ISIL positions.
