Turkey’s ground attack on the Kurdish region of northern Syria may begin in the coming days.
According to the Turkish media, the army has moved heavy equipment near the Syrian border to await the attack order.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has threatened to attack the area several times already.
The threat of a new land attack has not yet led to a significant movement of refugees from the border regions, says a person contacted from Qamishil in northern Syria Jamie Parks From the Rojava Information Center.
– People want to stay in their homes until the end. This is the third time in a year that Turkey says it will launch a ground attack, so people don’t believe it until the attack actually starts, Parks tells .
He works at the Rojava Information Center, which gathers information about events in the region and assists researchers and journalists.
Istanbul bombing in the background
Turkey has justified its attack intentions with the fact that the armed forces of the Syrian Kurds, the YPG, were involved in the bombing of Istanbul on November 13.
Turkey blames the attack on the YPG and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, the PKK. Both organizations have denied their guilt.
Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu blamed the Kurds just hours after the Istanbul attack.
To the course of events however, there are questions (you will switch to another service). For example, the woman suspected of setting the bomb has been said to be of Arab origin. Syrian Kurdish politician Salih Muslim has claimed (you are switching to another service)that the suspected perpetrator had connections with Turkey’s allies in Syria.
Turkey funds and arms several groups that used to fight Bashar al-Assad against the administration. Now they work in cooperation with the Turkish Armed Forces.
Some comments have also asked why the Syrian Kurds would want to give Turkey a reason to invade the region.
In Turki’s opinion, there are no doubts in the matter. More than a week ago, the country began a series of airstrikes in northern Syria and the Kurdish region of Iraq. Turkey has also shelled areas of the Kurdish-led regime in Syria with artillery.
Turkey has continuously carried out drone strikes in northern Syria, but in recent days the strikes have been exceptionally violent.
“Turkey struck civilian targets”
Conditions in northern Syria are difficult, and Turkey’s attacks have worsened the already difficult electricity shortage. Turkey has struck, among other things, the power plant near the town of Derik and the oil distribution in the area.
The supply of fuel is important because a large part of the area’s electricity is produced by small generators.
– Most of Turkey’s attacks have targeted civilian infrastructure, and not so much military targets, says Parks.
Jamie Parks estimates that the Turkish ground attack would target the border area, in the middle of which is the city of Kobane. Turkey and its allies now control areas on both sides of Kobane.
In addition, Turkey is likely to attack a small area controlled by the Kurds north of Aleppo.
The Syrian Kurds have thousands of Isis prisoners
Kobane is remembered for the battles of 2014, when the Kurdish forces managed to stop the advance of the extremist group ISIS in the city.
Thousands of ISIS fighters and their family members are in camps and prisons run by the Kurdish-led regime in Syria. The most famous of the camps is al-Hol, where there are still a dozen Finns who stayed in ISIS territory.
If the Turkish attack were to destabilize local security forces, Isis could try to free Isis fighters in prisons and family members in camps.
In January 2022, Isis attacked the al-Sina prison near the city of Hasaka, where there are thousands of imprisoned Isis fighters. The attack was repulsed, but some prisoners managed to escape.
Turkey struck close to al-Holi
Turkey struck a checkpoint in the immediate vicinity of the al-Holi camp last week. According to local security forces, eight soldiers were killed in the airstrike.
– Three Turkish planes hit the checkpoint and a chaotic situation arose in the camp, during which people were able to escape. However, they were arrested later, he says Samantha Teal referring to the information provided by the security forces.
Teal also works at the Rojava Information Center.
The Kurdish-led security forces are in trouble because, in addition to al-Holi, they have several prisons to guard, and at the same time Turkey is attacking the area.
– People are afraid of a Turkish attack. In addition, many are worried that the attack would give ISIS the opportunity to become stronger again, says Jamie Parks.
The Syrian Kurds have been important allies for the West in the fight against ISIS. Now the Kurds feel that they are being abandoned to the mercy of Turkey.
– We visited the place where Turkey had destroyed the power plant near the town of Derik. 11 civilians were killed in the attacks. The people we met were angry at the silence of the international community, says Samantha Teal.
Strong reactions in 2019 – quieter now
When Turkey launched a large-scale ground attack in northern Syria in October 2019, many countries strongly criticized Turkey. It’s been quieter now.
Many European countries, including Finland and Sweden, suspended arms trade with Turkey in 2019, although there was no formal arms export ban.
Minister of Defense Antti Kaikkonen told about Finland’s policy on Twitter in autumn 2019.
Resuming arms exports has been one of Turkey’s conditions for accepting Finland and Sweden’s NATO membership.
Finland and Sweden have also committed not to support the Kurdish forces in Syria, so it is difficult for the countries to criticize Turkey’s attacks against the Kurds.
The United States has prompted (you are moving to another service) Turkey was restrained so that the fight against ISIS is not disturbed.
It may be that President Erdoğan, who is preparing for next year’s elections, will not listen to the calls. It is important for him to appear as a strong leader who does not bow down to foreign powers.
Read more:
Kurdish troops warn that they may have to abandon prison camps in Syria if Turkey launches a ground attack – still a dozen Finns in al-Holi
Five minutes in al-Holi: Death threats, stones and eggs – there are also Finns in the restless camp, but it is unclear whether they want to go to Finland anymore
Doctors Without Borders: Residents of the al-Holi camp have died while waiting for permission to enter the hospital
Turkey strikes Syria and northern Iraq – over 30 dead, reports of civilian casualties