[3][4] In 2016 the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Theresa May, stated "The scenes we see of the indiscriminate slaughter of innocent civilians are absolutely appalling.

"[6] In April 2017 Îlham Ehmed, the current co-president of the Executive Council of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES),[7] stated "The US must take a clear stand against Turkish aggression.

At least we will not have civilian casualties then"[12] On October 31, 2019 Îlham Ehmed argued that instead of joint patrols again called for a no-fly zone and an international force in order to monitor security on the border with Turkey.

[13][14] Four ceasefire areas or de-escalation zones were proposed in 2017 in order to halt the intense fighting between the various sides involved in the Syrian civil war.

The framework for the de-escalation zones were agreed on as a result of the Astana talks between Russia, Iran and Turkey, in May 2017 while the final demarcation of the areas was completed in June 2017.

As of January 1, 2019, the de-escalation zones in southern Syria, Damascus and Homs have been abolished after offensives conducted by the Syrian Arab Army on three occasions, which resulted in most of the armed rebels reconciling with the government and a sizeable minority taking the government-sanctioned busses to the greater Idlib region.