Has an unofficial no-fly zone emerged in northern Syria?

Has an unofficial no-fly zone emerged in northern Syria?
James Denselow writes in The New Arab that last week the evolving and metamorphosing conflict in Syria took another twist. 

The American military, so reluctant to extend its campaign against ISIS further into Syria’s bloody war, scrambled its aircraft over northern Syria to chase away Syrian regime jets which had attacked US-backed Kurdish forces, says Denselow.

Following these incidents, Pentagon Spokesman Peter Cook warned the Assad regime that they and ‘anyone else who may threaten our force in that area that we will defend them and they have a right to defend themselves’, and yet he also added that ‘it’s not a no-fly zone’, Denselow says, adding that this warning was officially conveyed to the Assad regime via the Russian military but it leaves us with an unusual and uncertain state of affairs.

“The political, legal and technical consequences of a US no-fly zone are immense and would signify a step change in Washington’s approach to the conflict. Back in 2013 the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staffwarned Congress that imposing a no-fly zone over Syria would cost as much as $ 1 billion a month, require thousands of US troops and put American aircraft at risk of being shot down.

Despite Obama claiming that the Syrian conflict is responsible for turning his hair grey, there is no evidence to suggest that he is looking to use the end of his presidency to change course in the country, Denselow goes on to say.

Denselow adds that various opposition groups and civil society campaigners have been calling for a no-fly zone since the escalation of the conflict from street protests to grinding urban combat, and that the emergence of barrel bombs in particular became a symbol of the conflict, their rudimentary and indiscriminate nature devastating Syrian cities and causing untold death and destruction.

Denselow quoted Kenneth Roth of HRW as saying that "stopping Assad’s barrel bombs is now the most urgent task to reduce their (the Syrian people) suffering" and referred to an Avaaz petition that called on world leaders to enforce a no-fly zone over northern Syria and received over a million signatures yet the realpolitik of what it would mean has seen little action.

“Have the events of the last few weeks changed this equation?” Denselow asks.

“It would appear that the US is drawing yet another red line as to the behaviour of the Assad regime, and that it has imposed a ‘fly but no-bomb zone’ on its aircraft operating near its supported forces,” says Denselow . 

“Nevertheless, the US decision to show a willingness to put its pilots at risk of air to air combat with regime planes, and its clear verbal warnings that followed, do represent a shoring up of Washington’s Syria policy,” Denselow writes.

Sadly, the notion that Syrian civilians will be protected from aerial assault remains as distant as ever, as the death toll continues to rise, Denselow concludes.

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