By Umar Farooq</p> <p>WASHINGTON (AA) – The U.S. Special Representative for Syria Engagement on Monday said Washington is working with Turkey on "a safe zone of some length along the Turkish border," saying the zone would have no YPG/PKK forces.</p> <p>"We’re looking for a solution that would meet everyone’s needs," James Jeffrey, who also serves as the special envoy for the anti-Daesh coalition, said at a news conference at the State Department.</p> <p>"What we’re working with Turkey to have a safe zone of some length along the Turkish border where there would be no YPG forces because Turkey feels very nervous about the YPG and their ties to the PKK.
“We understand that, President [Donald] Trump has made that clear to President [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan, ” he said.
He said, however, the ultimate goal of the U.S. in Syria was the defeat of the Daesh terrorist group.
“The mission is defeat ISIS, not to operate in any safe zone, ” Jeffrey added, using another name for Daesh.
Jeffrey also mentioned the U.S. still does not know the whereabouts of the Daesh leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Baghdadi's whereabouts and status have been a mystery over the past few years, and multiple claims have been made that he has been killed on various battlefields in Iraq and Syria.
“No we don’t know where [Baghdadi] is and finding the top leadership of ISIS or other terrorist groups is always a priority, ” said Jeffrey.
