Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan repeated his government’s intention to create a “safe zone” in northern Syria that would be “expunged of terror” and where “our Arab and Turkmen brothers will find the opportunity to resettle.” Speaking at a news conference during an official visit to Bahrain, Erdogan explained that Turkey’s goal was to establish a zone that would cover up to 5,000 square kilometers (3,000 square miles), and he urged the US-led coalition to “act in concert with Turkey” in a planned offensive against Raqqa, the self-proclaimed capital of the Islamic State (IS).

US President Donald Trump has also raised the possibility of establishing a safe zone in Syria and tasked the Pentagon with coming up with plans for one. Russia remains firmly opposed to the concept, however, especially one along the Turkish border, where opposition rebels could potentially regroup and relaunch their fight to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

If such a zone is established at all, it would likely be along the Jordanian border. A coalition official told Al-Monitor that details remain vague, but the idea is not to create a traditional safe zone, which would require the presence of a large number of ground troops, but rather to bolster security for the forces already controlling the area. The official was referring to an area bordering Jordan controlled by a CIA-vetted rebel coalition called the Southern Front, an approach that analysts say could simultaneously help to disrupt Iranian activities in Syria, protect Jordan from radical Sunni Islamists and put pressure on IS.

All is not quiet in the areas currently under Turkish control.