https://medyanews.net/turkish-forces-in-syria-and-syrian-refugees-in-turkey-a-weekly-news-review/
Sarah Glynn: "As Syrian refugees face pogroms in Turkish cities, and Turkish occupation forces meet with protests in occupied Syria, Turkey’s role in Syria is once again under the spotlight. Turkish intervention in Syria’s civil war has been opportunistic and brutal, and its legacy will continue to poison the possibilities for peaceful life in the country for many decades to come. This week I will put current tensions into the context of the recent history of Turkish/Syrian politics, and I will also catch up with developments in Turkey’s ongoing invasion of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. "When Syria’s “Arab Spring” descended into civil war, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who was then Prime Minister of Turkey, saw an opportunity to increase Turkish power and influence in a region that had once been part of the Ottoman Empire. Initially alongside the United States, Turkey supported the Sunni rebels fighting Bashar al-Assad’s Syrian Government forces, and Turkish intelligence brought these groups together under the title of the Free Syrian Army, later the Syrian National Army (SNA). Following Russian intervention, when the tide turned in Assad’s favour, the SNA militias maintained a role in Syria as Turkey’s mercenaries. They formed ground troops for Turkey’s invasions – of Jarabulus in 2016-17, Afrîn in 2018, and Serêkaniyê and Girê Spî in 2019 – and they have been given day to day control of the occupied areas, with appalling consequences for those who live there. While many people, especially Kurds, escaped these areas in the face of Turkish oppression, Turkey has brought in new settlers, including returned refugees, in a deliberate policy of demographic change.... "As I discussed last week, there have been renewed moves to restore relations between Turkey and Syria. Erdoğan told<https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/turkeys-erdogan-does-not-rule-out-meeting-syrias-assad-restore-ties-2024-06-28/> reporters after Friday prayers, a week ago, “Just as we kept our ties very lively in the past – we even held talks between our families with Mr Assad – it is certainly not possible (to say) this will not happen again in the future, it can happen”. Agreement will not be easy, as Assad wants a guaranteed withdrawal of Turkish troops from Syrian land, and respect for Syrian sovereignty, which Turkey is not prepared to give; however, the ongoing discussion, and Turkey’s backing for relations in principle, has made supporters of the Syrian opposition worried and angry with what they see as Turkish betrayal. They also hold Turkey responsible for the appalling administration of the occupied areas and their economic difficulties. "The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria – which Erdoğan would like the Syrian government to help him crush – has put out a statement emphasising that any agreement with the Turkish state will be against Syrian interests and Syrian unity. They call, instead, for unity<https://aanesgov.org/?p=13019> through local self-administration, and a coming together of all Syrian national forces to liberate the occupied land. "In Turkey, DEM Party Co-chair Tülay Hatimoğulları called for a peace dialogue<https://medyanews.net/turkeys-dem-party-calls-on-government-to-engage-in-peace-talks-with-syria-and-kurds/> that brings together Turkey and Assad but also the Kurdish People of Syria – meaning the Autonomous Administration.... "Before leaving Syria – a further reminder that Turkey’s attacks never stop. Turkey was responsible<https://anfenglishmobile.com/rojava-syria/turkey-and-its-mercenaries-carried-out-31-attacks-on-northern-and-eastern-syria-in-june-74088> for 31 attacks on Syrian villages in June, which killed at least two people. Turkey’s restrictions on water flowing into Syria have caused<https://npasyria.com/en/115031/> the Zirgan River, a tributary of the Khabur, to dry up almost completely. And ISIS sleeper cells are able to thrive in the situation of perpetual insecurity generated by Turkish attacks, and in the safe havens furnished by the occupied regions. The SDF have announced that in the first half of 2024, in operations against ISIS, they arrested<https://npasyria.com/en/115151/> “233 terrorists, suspects, and collaborators” and killed ten others.... In the Kurdistan Region of Iraq "While Erdoğan talks about negotiations with Assad, he shows no intention at all of talking about a peace agreement with the PKK, despite longstanding PKK demands for negotiation. Instead, he talks about eliminating the organisation completely, and uses Turkey’s fight against the PKK as an excuse for taking control of and occupying a large portion of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. "This week, Turkish attacks on the Kurdistan Region have intensified further<https://medyanews.net/turkish-forces-intensify-bombardments-in-iraqi-kurdistan-villages-targeted-fires-set/>. The PKK reports massive bombardments, and the illegal use of gas to try and kill the guerrillas in their tunnels. More armoured vehicles have arrived, and villages have been evacuated under threat of bombardment. Turkish bombardment has set the hills on fire, destroying<https://twitter.com/GreenRojava/status/1808803794341273962> at least 10,000 trees, and has targeted<https://anfenglishmobile.com/kurdistan/turkish-army-bomb-assyrian-village-of-miska-74041> the Assyrian village of Mîsra and its church. The Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), the umbrella group that includes the PKK, claims<https://medyanews.net/turkey-brings-al-nusra-and-other-jihadists-to-northern-iraq-to-fight-against-pkk/> that Turkey is bringing in radical jihadi mercenaries to fight for them in Iraq." -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. View/Reply Online (#31046): https://groups.io/g/marxmail/message/31046 Mute This Topic: https://groups.io/mt/107095929/21656 -=-=- POSTING RULES & NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. #4 Do not exceed five posts a day. -=-=- Group Owner: [email protected] Unsubscribe: https://groups.io/g/marxmail/leave/8674936/21656/1316126222/xyzzy [[email protected]] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
