US: No-fly zone wouldn’t resolve key issues in Syria

The U.S. is still not considering a no-fly zone in northern Syria as it might not help resolve the broader conflict in the war-torn country, President Barack Obama’s national security advisor said Tuesday.

“We do not think a no-fly zone would resolve the fundamental issues on the ground because there continues to be fighting on the ground,” Ben Rhodes told reporters in Laos, where the president has been for a regional summit.

“A no-fly zone would necessarily only be contained to one specific area, and we have problems and violence across the country,” he added.

Rhodes’ comments came after Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated his call for a no-fly zone and the formation of safe zones for refugees in northern Syria during his China visit for the G20 summit there. 

Rhodes said the U.S. would continue to dedicate resources to the fight against Daesh but pointed to the importance of sealing off the Turkish-Syrian border and ridding it of Daesh in terms of preventing the flow of foreign fighters.