Syria's Kurds have found themselves in a difficult position after the fall of dictator Bashar al-Assad, as Islamists have seized power in Damascus and Turkey seeks to carve out parts of Syrian territory along the border.
turkey view It denounced all Syrian Kurdish militias as a major security threat and claimed they were all linked to Turkey's violent separatist group, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). This also applies to Kurdish militias such as the People's Protection Units (YPG), which were allies of the United States and Europe in the war against Islamic State.
Turkish officials have a habit of referring to all such militias as if they were a wing of the PKK. For example, YPG is called “PKK-YPG”. Türkiye's ruling party AKP also outlaw He accused Kurdish politicians of having secret ties to the PKK.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan invaded Since the outbreak of civil war in 2011, Syria has repeatedly stated the goal of creating a “safety corridor” along its border that would be free from Kurdish insurgents.
Turkey has forged a joint alliance with Syrian rebel networks known So is the Syrian National Army (SNA), which has happily helped Turkey push the Kurds out of its “security corridor.”
As soon as doctor Bashar al-Assad was expelled from Damascus two weeks ago, Turkish authorities began: prompt The victorious Islamic rebels of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) join forces with Turkey to fight against the Kurds. Turkey's ally the SNA clashed with Kurdish forces in December and captured several towns from them, including Manbij, a hotly contested city during the rise and fall of Islamic State. was.
Reuters on Monday Saw The Kurds feel “outnumbered” as much of the territory they have consolidated over the past 13 years is now threatened by the HTS, which clearly seeks better relations with Turkey, and the even more hostile NSA militia. “There is.”
Century International Fellow Aaron Rand told Reuters that Syria's Kurds are “in deep trouble.”
“The balance has fundamentally shifted in Syria in favor of pro-Turkish or Turkish-aligned factions, and Turkey seems determined to make the most of this,” Lund said. .
Bilgehan Aragos, a professor of international relations at Istanbul's Marmara University, said the Kurds were in a uniquely dangerous position because “there is no Russia or Iran” to keep Turkey or the Damascus establishment at bay. She predicted that President Erdogan would not miss the opportunity to focus on destroying the YPG.
While fighting the PKK and YPG, Turkey faced Russian, Iranian, and Assad regime forces. We can call this an opportunity to fight the PKK and YPG,” Aragoz said. said RFI on Saturday.
Former Turkish diplomat Aydin Selsen pointed out that Turkey's ally the SNA is moving closer to the Euphrates River. Crossing that line without HTS' permission could cause friction between Turkey and Syria's new rulers, and could put the SNA in conflict with the small remaining US force in Syria.
The Kurds may be able to ask Israel for help. The Israelis are Establishment They have set up their own buffer zone in post-Assad Syria, and they have long considered the Kurds to be allies in Syria. The Israelis may even intend to turn their buffer zone into a protective barricade for the Kurds to establish their own mini-state within Syria.
israeli official called The international community called for protection for the Kurds within days of Assad's ouster.
“This is a promise of the international community to those who bravely fought against ISIS. It is also a promise for the future of Syria, because the Kurds are a stabilizing force in this country,'' Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said. Said on May 9th.
Israeli opposition leader Yair Golan is even stronger in supporting the Kurds, with Israel acting quickly and decisively to empower the Kurds as a political counterweight to Turkey and the Islamists who now control Damascus argued that it should be done.
“Israel must be concerned about the basics of Turkey's attack on the Kurds in Syria. Israel must take the initiative to use overt and covert channels to support the Kurds. “A strong Kurdish territory is Israel's security,” Golan said. said last week.
Kurdish officials welcomed Israel's support, noting that Israel has never threatened it or questioned its right to exist and has always strived to provide competent and stable governance in the areas it controls. did.
Analyst John Saleh said Voice of America News (VOA) Kurds should not be too dependent on Israel, as some Muslims in the region already tend to see Kurds as mere puppets of hated Israelis Body.
“If Israel has plans to support the Kurds, it should do so immediately. Otherwise, under the new Islamist regime in Damascus, the consequences for Kurds with perceived ties to Israel will be grave. It could become something,” Saleh said.
Kurdish officials are nominally in favor of starting “dialogue” with Turkey and helping Syria rebuild after 13 years of bitter sectarian conflict, but could persuade Erdogan to withdraw. He doesn't seem to be optimistic about sex.
Asked about the possibility of dialogue, a Turkish official said the “PKK-YPG is a terrorist organization” and that it must “lay down its weapons and withdraw from Syria.”
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan echoed similar sentiments this weekend. declare There is no room for Kurdish militants in the new Syria, so the YPG and another group allied with the United States, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), should be immediately disbanded.
Fidan accused the international community of “turning a blind eye” to the “illegal” actions of the YPG and SDF. He called on the United States and Europe to end their support for Kurdish militias in Syria.
Obviously a creepy note, but Fidan said The HTS government in Damascus has control over the huge prisoner-of-war camp where Islamic State jihadists are imprisoned, a camp that has been run by the SDF for years.
“If you look at this from the perspective of U.S. national interests and do the math, is Turkey more important or is a terrorist organization like the PKK more important? Mr. Trump understands the math right away,” Fidan said. he said, predicting changes in U.S. policy under the return of President Donald Trump.
Fidan was speaking after a meeting with HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharah, who said he expected Kurdish militias to disarm and submit to the new Syrian Ministry of Defense.
“We will not allow any weapons to leave the state, whether they are revolutionaries or factions that exist in the SDF region,” Schaller said.
In the United States, Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham introduced Last Friday, a bipartisan bill was passed to sanction Turkey for its military operations against the Kurds in northern Syria.
“Attacks by Turkish-backed forces against our Kurdish partners in Syria undermine regional security and efforts to prevent the resurgence of ISIS,” Van Hollen asserted.
It appears that the Kurds have no intention of giving up their arms and surrendering to Türkiye. On Tuesday, the Self-Defense Forces announced It launched a counteroffensive against the SNA with the goal of retaking Manbij and other territories occupied by Turkey's allies.
“Syria is currently in a new phase, and discussions about the future of the country are underway. Through attacks, Turkey is trying to distract us from the fighting and exclude us from negotiations in Damascus.”Kurdish Women's Protection said Luken Jamal, spokesman for the force (YPJ).
