UPDATES:militants Afrin / ldlib

[Anthea]

Turkey expects swift campaign against U.S.-backed Kurds

HASSA, Turkey (Reuters) - Turkey shelled targets in northwest Syria on Monday and said it would swiftly crush the U.S.-backed Kurdish YPG fighters who control the Afrin region in an air and ground offensive that President Tayyip Erdogan said Russia had agreed to.

Amid growing international concern over the three-day-old military operation, President Tayyip Erdogan said there would be “no stepping back” from the campaign, which has opened up a new front in Syria’s complex civil war.

Turkish forces and their Syrian rebel allies began their push to clear YPG fighters from the northwestern enclave on Saturday, despite concern from the United States, which urged both sides on Monday to show restraint.

France called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Monday to discuss the fighting in Afrin and other parts of Syria, and Britain said it would look for ways to prevent any further escalation.

But Erdogan said Turkey was determined to press ahead. “There’s no stepping back from Afrin,” he said in a speech in Ankara. “We discussed this with our Russian friends, we have an agreement with them, and we also discussed it with other coalition forces and the United States.”

Moscow, a military ally of President Bashar al-Assad that operates a major air base in Syria, has not confirmed giving a green light to the campaign - which Syria has strongly objected to - but did not appear to be acting to prevent it.

The YPG’s Afrin spokesman, Birusk Hasaka, said there were clashes between Kurdish and Turkish-backed forces on the third day of the operation, and that Turkish shelling had hit civilian areas in Afrin’s northeast.

The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), dominated by YPG fighters, said they might send reinforcements to Afrin, and called for international efforts to halt the attack.

U.S.-TURKEY TENSION

Ankara considers the YPG a terrorist group tied to Kurdish insurgents in Turkey, and has been infuriated by U.S. support for the YPG in the battle against Islamic State in Syria -- one of the issues that have brought relations between the United States and its Muslim NATO ally close to breaking point.

Erdogan has also pledged to drive the SDF from the town of Manbij to the east, part of a much larger area of northern Syria controlled by the SDF, which led the U.S.-backed campaign to defeat Islamic State in its Syrian strongholds last year.

That raises the prospect of protracted conflict between Turkey and its allied Free Syrian Army factions against the U.S.-backed SDF.

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek sought to play down the long-term risks.

“Our investors should be at ease, the impact will be limited, the operation will be brief and it will reduce the terror risk to Turkey in the period ahead,” Simsek, who oversees economic affairs, said in Ankara.

A senior Turkish official declined to give a timeframe but said the operation would “move fast”, adding that Turkey believed there was some local support for its action in both Afrin and Manbij.

YPG official Nouri Mahmoud said Turkish-backed forces had not taken any territory in Afrin. “Our forces have to this point repelled them and forced them to retreat,” he told Reuters.

A Turkish official said Turkish troops and Free Syrian Army fighters had begun to advance on Afrin’s eastern flank, taking control of Barshah hill, northwest of the town of Azaz.

TURKISH SHELLING

A Reuters cameraman near Hassa, across the border from Afrin, saw Turkish shelling on Monday morning. Dogan news agency said Turkish howitzers opened fire at 1 a.m. (2200 GMT), and that YPG targets were also being hit by Turkish warplanes and multiple rocket launchers.

Turkey sees the YPG presence on its southern border as a domestic security threat. Defeating it in Afrin would reduce Kurdish-controlled territory on its frontier and link up two regions controlled by insurgents opposed to Assad - Idlib province and an area where Turkey fought for seven months in 2016-17 to drive back Islamic State and the YPG.

The Turkish-backed FSA factions, which have come together under the banner of a newly branded “National Army”, also want to see an end to YPG rule in Afrin.

They accuse the YPG of displacing 150,000 Arab residents of towns including Tel Rifaat and Menigh to the east of Afrin, captured in 2016.

“This is a historic moment in our revolution,” Mohammad al-Hamadeen, a senior officer in the FSA forces, told fighters in Azaz on Sunday as they prepared to join the ground offensive.

“God willing, very soon we will return to our region that we were driven from two years ago.”

Throughout most of the multi-sided seven-year-old civil war in Syria, Turkey and the United States jointly backed Arab fighters seeking to overthrow Assad. Since 2014, Washington has angered Turkey by growing closer to the Kurdish militia, which it supported with air strikes, arms, training and special forces advisers on the ground to oppose Islamic State.

Additional reporting by Daren Butler in Istanbul, Orhan Coskun, Tuvan Gumrukcu and Ece Toksabay in Ankara; Tom Perry, Ellen Francis and Lisa Barrington in Beirut; Writing by Dominic Evans; Editing by David Dolan, Gareth Jones, Peter Graff andEditing by Kevin Liffey

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mide ... SKBN1FB0WJ

[Anthea]

The Latest: France Tells UN That Syria Is at 'A Crossroads'

France's U.N. ambassador says he has told the Security Council that Syria is at "a crossroads," with the worst scenario leading to fragmentation and ethnic cleansing in the conflict-torn country and the best scenario leading to peace.

BEIRUT (AP) — The latest on developments in Syria and Turkey's offensive on the Syrian Kurdish enclave of Afrin (all times local):

11:15 p.m.

France's U.N. ambassador says he has told the Security Council that Syria is at "a crossroads," with the worst scenario leading to fragmentation and ethnic cleansing in the conflict-torn country and the best scenario leading to peace.

Ambassador Francois Delattre told reporters after closed briefings to the council Monday by the U.N. humanitarian and political chiefs that Turkey's offensive in the Syrian Kurdish enclave of Afrin is just "part of the equation."

The council issued no statement after the briefings.

But Delattre says he believes France's call for Turkish authorities to act with restraint "was widely shared during the discussion" in the council.

He says the council meeting was "critically important" ahead of a new round of U.N.-led talks on Syria in Vienna on Jan. 25-26.

10:22 p.m.

The Turkish military has announced one soldier was killed in its cross-border operation on a Kurdish held enclave in northern Syria.

In a statement late Monday, the military said the "heroic" soldier was killed in clashes with Syrian Kurdish militants and the Islamic State group near Turkey's border province of Kilis.

The unnamed soldier is the first to be killed in the military offensive code-named Olive Branch, now ending its third day.

The military operation with Turkey-backed Syrian opposition forces aims to clear Afrin of Syrian Kurdish militants. Turkey considers the People's Protection Units, or YPG, a terror organization and an extension of the Kurdish insurgency within its own borders.

More than 70 Turkish soldiers were killed in Turkey's 2016 cross-border operation into Syria.

7:45 p.m.

Russia's top diplomat has met with Syria's opposition leader to pave way for peace talks to be hosted by Russia later this month.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told Naser al-Hariri on Monday that Russia wants the Congress of National Dialogue, set to be held in Sochi on Jan. 29-30, to be as inclusive as possible.

Lavrov also took aim at Washington, accusing it of supporting al-Qaida-linked militants in Syria. He said the humanitarian challenges in rebel-held areas could have been avoided if foreign powers had forged a united front against al-Qaida.

Russia is a key ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad, and its 2015 military intervention in Syria turned the tide of the war in the government's favor.

Hariri, who heads the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, said Syria political forces need to reach an accord on fighting militants.

6:30 p.m.

Christians and Yazidis living in a Kurdish-held enclave in northern Syria say they fear persecution by advancing Turkish and allied forces, which they say include Islamic militants.

The Yazidi Association in Germany said in a statement Monday that people in Afrin are under threat from "jihadist groups" operating in the shadow of the Turkish offensive.

Irfan Ortac, the chairman of the Central Committee of Yazidis in Germany, told The Associated Press that villages where Yazidis live are being bombed from the air while others are under threat of a ground offensive. He said at least one Yazidi has been killed and many were displaced by the fighting.

The Yazidi community in Syria, a religious minority, lives mostly in Kurdish-controlled areas.

Ortac estimated that 15,000 Yazidis live in Afrin, among nearly 800,000 civilians, including many displaced from other parts of Syria. Ortac said the community fears "jihadists" who are participating in the offensive and who have been threatening religious minorities in the area.

Also on Monday, three churches in Afrin issued an appeal for "international protection" and a halt to the Turkish offensive. The statement, which said there are about 250 Christian families in Afrin, said they fear Islamic militant groups.

Syrian opposition fighters, many from Islamist groups, are taking part in the Turkey-backed offensive which began Saturday.

Activists say Turkey has prepared nearly 10,000 Syrian fighters to take part in the offensive.

— Frank Jordans

6:15 p.m.

The European Union's top diplomat says she's concerned about Turkey's military offensive on a Kurdish-held enclave in northern Syria and is warning that it could undermine peace efforts.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said Monday that "I'm extremely worried and I will discuss this, among other things, with our Turkish interlocutors" in coming days.

She said it's important "to make sure that humanitarian access is guaranteed and that the civilian population, people are not suffering." She said military efforts should focus on the Islamic State group.

She warned that the Turkish offensive "can undermine seriously the resumption of talks in Geneva, which is what we believe could really bring sustainable peace and security for Syria."

5:45 p.m.

The U.N. Security Council is expected to get a closed-door briefing later Monday on the political and military situation in Syria, including Turkey's military offensive against a Kurdish-held enclave.

France asked for a meeting and Sweden's U.N. Ambassador Olof Skoog told reporters his government supports a briefing "about the latest military escalations, including the Turkish attacks."

Skoog said: "We're worried about any military escalation," and the Turkish attacks are a good opportunity for the council to "move away from discussing country-by-country and looking at more regional evolutions and developments."

The council is expected to hear from Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman as well as U.N. humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock, who visited Syria recently.

Skoog urged implementation of council resolutions demanding unhindered humanitarian access "so the U.N. is able to operate fully in the disastrous humanitarian situations across Syria."

5:30 p.m.

Syrian state media says the death toll from rebel shelling of the capital has climbed to nine civilians, including a child.

State TV said Monday's shelling hit residential areas and a bus station in Bab Touma, al-Shaghour and other neighborhoods. It blamed the shelling on rebels in the eastern Ghouta suburbs. Earlier reports said five civilians were killed.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition-linked group that tracks the conflict, also said nine people were killed in the shelling.

Government forces have surrounded eastern Ghouta, the last rebel stronghold near the capital, and regularly target it with shelling and airstrikes. The UN says some 400,000 civilians are trapped in eastern Ghouta with little or no access to basic services or aid.

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/artic ... separatism

[Anthea]

Erdogan says campaign against Kurds in Syria will continue

Turkey's president has said his country will "not take a step back" from its military operation on an enclave in northern Syria controlled by U.S.-allied Kurdish fighters.

Speaking in Ankara on Monday on the third day of the operation, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey's "fundamental goal" is ensuring national security, preserving Syria's territorial integrity and protecting the Syrian people.

"We discussed this with our Russian friends, and we have an agreement," he said. Moscow, a military ally of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad that operates a major air base in Syria, has not confirmed giving a green light to Turkey's campaign, to which Syria has strongly objected.

Erdogan slammed the United States for working with Syrian Kurdish YPG forces instead of Turkey in combatting the Islamic State or Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are dominated by YPG fighters.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan again slammed the United States for working with Syrian Kurdish YPG forces. Ankara considers the YPG group affiliated with militants at home who frequently launch violent attacks. (Umit Bektas/Reuters)

The operation's aim, according to Erdogan, is not to "occupy" any part of Syria but rather to conquer "hearts." Ankara considers the YPG a terrorist group tied to Kurdish insurgents in Turkey.

Once Afrin and Idlib to the west are secured, Erdogan said hundreds of thousands of Syrians could return to their homes.

Erdogan said: "The Afrin operation will end when it reaches its goals."

The death toll from the offensive in the Afrin region stands at 18 civilians, including women and children, the spokesman for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militia alliance said on Monday. An additional 23 people have been wounded in the offensive, SDF spokesman Kino Gabriel added in a statement circulated on an instant messaging group run by the SDF.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, speaking from Indonesia, said Turkey gave the U.S. military advance notice of its airstrikes against Kurdish targets in northern Syria.

Mattis defended Turkey, calling it a trusted NATO ally with "legitimate security concerns" about Syria.
Deteriorating relationship

Mattis said diplomats are working on a solution to Turkey's armed confrontation with Syrian Kurds. He said the U.S. forces based in Syria had not been put at risk by the Turkish attacks, since U.S. troops are not based in that part of Syria.

In a statement released Monday afternoon, the White House said the operation "risks exacerbating the humanitarian crisis" in Syria.

"We ask that Turkey ensure its operations are limited in scope and duration and ensures humanitarian aid continues and avoid[s] civilian casualties," the statement read.
Lebanon Kurds

Throughout most of the multi-sided seven-year-old civil war in Syria, Turkey and the United States jointly backed Arab fighters seeking to overthrow Assad. Since 2014, Washington has angered Turkey by growing closer to the Kurdish militia, which it supported with airstrikes, arms, training and special forces advisers on the ground to oppose Islamic State.

A protracted campaign could bring relations between the United States and its Muslim NATO ally close to a breaking point. The tension in the relationship also encompasses disputes over visas and diplomats, the prosecution of a Turkish bank official in the U.S., and the continued residency of an exiled cleric in Pennsylvania who Erdogan blames for instigating an unsuccessful 2016 coup. (pretend coup)

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/turkey-kur ... -1.4497924

[Anthea]

AP Explains: Turkey’s ‘Operation Olive Branch’ in Afrin

Turkey has launched an air and ground campaign into Afrin, a Kurdish-controlled enclave in northwestern Syria. Codenamed “Operation Olive Branch,” it’s the latest chapter in a decades-long conflict between Turkey and Kurdish militants. Here’s a look at why this is happening now and what’s at stake:

WHAT’S THE GOAL?

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has said Turkey wants to create a 30-kilometer (20-mile) deep “secure zone” in Afrin. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said the military operation is essential for Turkey’s security and Syria’s territorial integrity.

The Turkish operation aims to oust from Afrin a militia made up of an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 fighters affiliated with the People’s Protection Units or YPG, a Syrian Kurdish group that has controlled territory in northern Syria and proven effective in fighting the Islamic State group.

Please Follow Link to Full Interesting Article:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/eu ... e384cd7e42

[Anthea]

Sadly there are still a large number of minor quakes happening in the Kurdish region - this one was nasty as it was felt over a large area

GEOFON Iran-iraq Border Region Jan 23 03:45 4.8

Surely it is time everyone stopped fighting and helped those in need

[Anthea]

Invasion of Afrin will be a test for humanity

After months of propaganda by AKP-MHP government the invasion operation against Afrin has started. These attacks constitute a new practice of the hostile policy of AKP-MHP towards Kurds. AKP-MHP fascism sees any place on earth where Kurds organize to a certain level or live, as a target for themselves.

Afrin is a city bordering Turkey and Kurdish people have a organized free and democratic life in the city. The existence of such a city on the border is a threat to AKP-MHP fascist government’s policy of genocide. This is the way Afrin poses a threat. Because with its democratic character Afrin exposes the fascist character of AKP-MHP government. This is the first reason for Turkey’s attack on Afrin.

Tayyip Erdogan made ISIS attack Kobane in 2014. They wanted to strangle Kobane and the Rojava Revolution with the hands of ISIS. Yesterday they tried to strangle the oases of freedom and democracy with the hands of ISIS and today they want to do it themselves. “Kurdish corridor”, “terror corridor” terms are only covers to hostility towards Kurds.

When ISIS was present along Turkey’s border with Syria, Turkish government didn’t see those as terrorists or a threat. On the contrary they supported ISIS. They were never bothered with ISIS. They wanted to feed and raise ISIS so they can be used to blackmail the world. But their plans were foiled after the Revolutionaries of Rojava and Syrian Democratic Forces defeated the ISIS.

But now we understand that Turkey is marketing the gangs that it fed and supported in west of Euphrates and around Aleppo to Syrian regime and Russia. Turkey entered Jarablus and al-Bab in return for the gangs in Aleppo. Now it’s invading Afrin in return for the gangs in Idlib.

Instead of bringing the AKP government to account for all the destruction it has caused in Syria by feeding these gangs, the world is rewarding it. Bashar Assad gives Tayyip Erdogan the ultimate price. He is helping.Erdogan to gain more power. While an enemy like Erdogan is rewarded, Afrin, that resisted against the gangs, is presented to the enemy.

The Assad regime should know that, if Kurds hadn’t resisted against the gangs in Aleppo, Aleppo would have fallen, let alone the other parts of the country. The gates of Damascus and Latakia would have opened as well. The most strategic neighbourhood of Aleppo was controlled by the Kurds. If the gangs had broken the Kurdish resistance, the government forces would have never been able to resist. As a matter of fact, the government forces take courage from the Kurdish resistance. The Kurdish population in Aleppo are mostly immigrants from Afrin. Now by opening the airspace to Turkey, Russia and the regime are executing hostility against the people of Afrin.

When Kurds are showing the attitude of solving the problems with the regime their manner means burning the bridges down with Kurdish people. Can a politician in his right mind take a step that will confront the Kurds? This is petty politics. It seems they wanted to manage the Kurds through the threat of Turkey. This kind of attitude will only create hostility with the Kurds. If they think they will discipline Kurds by selling Afrin out, they will face an opposite result.

The US policy is aiming to make Kurds dependant on itself by different methods which are more complicated. Instead of developing relationship with Kurds by seeing them as a proud nation, it developing political tricks by using Kurds will not be accepted. Tens of thousands of Kurds were martyred during the freedom struggle. Kurdish people are resisting against powers with genocide tendencies for more than a hundred years. And there is a continuous resistance for the past forty years. As Kurds give their own freedom struggle, they are also doing this for the entire Middle East and humanity. Five thousand Kurds were martyred during the struggle against ISIS in Northern Syria, Shengal and other provinces. Kurdish people saved the Middle East from ISIS menace.

US is the biggest member of the international coalition against ISIS but its remarks “Afrin is not an operation area of the international coalition” and it encouraging Turkey to enter Afrin lacks morality. The people of Afrin resisted against ISIS and Al Nusra. If ISIS and Al Nusra didn’t capture all of Syria that’s owing to the resistance of the people of Afrin.

There may be different reasons behind US’ statement that declared Afrin “non-operational area against ISIS” and its encouragement of Turkey to invade the region. Maybe they wanted to put Kurds and Russia against each other and want to benefit from it. “The big countries have so many plots” as Chinese say.

One reason behind invading Afrin for AKP-MHP fascism is that they try to keep their ruling standing. AKP-MHP fascism fears losing the power in Turkey. For Tayyip Erdogan, the only way to protect his seat is entering a war which will increase chauvinism and try to get more support from the society. There is no way for Erdogan to continue to rule the country. Supporting invasion of Afrin means supporting Erdogan’s rule for another decade. It means support for a religious and nationalist state and social structure.

Those who support AKP-MHP’s invasion of Afrin, have paved the way for Erdogan to remain in power. The opening of Syrian airspace by Russia and the regime is the step to hold Tayyip Erdogan at the office. We understand that Assad and Erdogan will become brothers again. Erdogan who insulted Russia after the downing of warplane, thinking that he will get support from the US and the EU, will be in each other’s arms from now on.

The EU and the US have the attitude of making Erdogan a trouble to Turkey’s peoples again while they saw him as a fascist figure until recently. Now we understand that the statements by different circles which said that Erdogan is fascist, a dictator are not serious. They are pleased with the AKP government. The US and EU officials remarks “we understand Turkey’s concerns” show that they are in dirty relations with this fascist chef and government. Instead of understanding the concerns of peoples of Turkey and Kurdish people, understanding Erdogan’s concerns is hypocrisy. They choose Erdogan.

We need to emphasize this once again: if Tayyip Erdogan and AKP-MHP government are to cause trouble for humanity, those who have stood with them will be responsible. The policies of the US and the EU especially encourage Tayyip Erdogan and AKP-MHP fascist government. That’s why they can insult those powers even when they feel like doing so. Because Erdogan knows that they will swallow those insults because of their opportunistic capitalist view.

It’s exemplary that those who call themselves “Kurd”, “democrat” or “anti-Erdogan” in Turkey can’t manifest a clear stance against the invasion of Afrin. No one is against the AKP-MHP fascism if they are not against the invasion of Afrin. The first thing for those who are against the AKP-MHP fascism should be to stand against the invasion of Afrin, the main purpose of which is to remain in power. It’s even more important than hostility against Kurds. The invasion of Afrin is a step for Tayyip Erdogan to make his ruling survive.

Neither the people of Turkey nor Turkey itself has interests in the invasion of Afrin. The only interest is keep the AKP-MHP’s government standing. Therefore all democratic powers should stand against the invasion of Afrin and put pressure on the CHP on this matter. Those who support AKP government will deeply regret this. Tayyip Erdogan will use the invasion of Afrin as a milestone to create a religious hegemonic Turkey. The proposed system will destroy every power on its way.

The opposition of those who are supporting the invasion of Afrin are all fake. Without standing against the invasion of Afrin it’s impossible to prevent Tayyip Erdogan’s presidency or establishment of a religious, hegemonic system in Turkey.

[Anthea]

Turkey says seeks no clash with U.S., Russia, but will pursue Syria goals

ANKARA/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Turkey seeks to avoid any clash with U.S., Russian or Syrian forces but will take any steps needed for its security, a Turkish minister said on Tuesday, the fourth day of an air and ground offensive against Kurdish forces in northwest Syria.

The United States and Russia both have military forces in Syria and have urged Turkey to show restraint in its campaign, Operation Olive Branch, to crush the U.S.-backed Kurdish YPG in the Afrin region on Turkey’s southern border.

The operation has opened a new front in Syria’s multi-sided civil war and could threaten U.S. plans to stabilize and rebuild a large area of northeast Syria - beyond President Bashar al-Assad’s control - where the United States helped the YPG drive out Islamic State fighters.

Turkey’s military, the second largest in NATO, has conducted air strikes and artillery barrages against targets in Afrin, and its soldiers and allied Syrian rebels have tried to push into the Kurdish-held district from west, north and eastern flanks.

With heavy cloud hindering air support in the last 24 hours, advances have been limited and Kurdish fighters have retaken some territory. Turkish troops and the Syrian fighters have been trying to take the summit of Bursaya Hill, overlooking the eastern approach to Afrin town.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said 22 civilians had been killed in Turkish shelling and air strikes, and thousands were fleeing the fighting.

However, Syrian government forces were preventing people from crossing government-held checkpoints to reach the Kurdish-held districts of nearby Aleppo city, it said.

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Tuesday Turkey’s offensive was distracting from efforts to defeat Islamic State.

Ankara says the jihadist group is largely finished in Syria and that the greater threat comes from the YPG, which it sees as an extension of a Kurdish group that has waged a decades-long separatist insurgency inside Turkish own borders.

President Tayyip Erdogan has said Turkey aims to destroy YPG control not just in the Afrin enclave but also in the mainly Arab town of Manbij to the east.

“Terrorists in Manbij are constantly firing provocation shots. If the United States doesn’t stop this, we will stop it,” Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was reported as saying on Tuesday.

“Our goal is not to clash with Russians, the Syrian regime or the United States, it is to battle the terrorist organization,” broadcaster Haberturk quoted him as saying.

“I must take whatever step I have to. If not, our future as a country is in jeopardy tomorrow. We are not afraid of anyone on this, we are determined... We will not live with fear and threats,” Cavusoglu said.

He later tweeted that a lieutenant had become the second Turkish soldier to be killed in the operation.

MANBIJ FEARS

Preventing Turkey from driving Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the U.S.-backed umbrella group that is dominated by the YPG, out of Manbij is a central goal for Washington, U.S. officials say.

Manbij is part of a larger area of north Syria controlled by Kurdish-dominated forces. Unlike in Afrin, where no U.S. forces are stationed, 2,000 U.S. military personnel are deployed in the eastern region which extends for 400 km (250 miles) along Turkey’s border.

YPG spokesman Nouri Mahmoud said Turkish shelling on Monday had killed three people in the Syrian border town of Ras al-Ayn, pointing to the risk of widening hostilities along the frontier.

The United States hopes to use the YPG’s control in northern Syria to give it the diplomatic muscle it needs to revive U.N.-led talks in Geneva on a deal that would end Syria’s civil war.

France, like the United States and Russia a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, added its voice on Tuesday to the calls for Turkish restraint.

“I had the opportunity to tell my Turkish colleague (Cavusoglu) ... that this offensive worries us,” Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told reporters in Paris.

Ankara has been infuriated by U.S. support for the YPG, which is one of several issues that have brought ties between Washington and its Muslim NATO ally close to breaking point.

“The future of our relations depends on the step the United States will take next,” Cavusoglu said.

Turkey, which carried out a seven-month military operation in northern Syria two years ago to push back Islamic State and YPG fighters, will continue to act where it thinks necessary, he said.

“Whether it is Manbij, Afrin, the east of the Euphrates or even threats from northern Iraq, it doesn’t matter,” he said. “If there are terrorists on the other side of our borders, this is a threat for us.”

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mide ... SKBN1FC12J

[Anthea]

Defense Secretary Mattis Warns:
ISIS Could Benefit From Turkish Military Strike in Afrin

Turkey’s ground invasion of a Kurdish enclave in northern Syria could be a boon for the Islamic State militant group (ISIS), U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis said on Tuesday.

Turkey has launched several airstrikes in addition to ground operations starting on Saturday in the area of Afrin, Syria, a corner of the country that Mattis described as relatively peaceful before the recent Turkish moves.

“It distracts from the international efforts to ensure the defeat of ISIS,” Mattis said, speaking to reporters between meetings in Jakarta, Indonesia. “This could be exploited by ISIS and Al-Qaeda obviously, that we’re not staying focused on them right now.”

The strikes by Turkish forces have been against Kurdish People’s Protection units, known as the YPG, in an area that borders on Turkey. Turkey believes that the YPG is supporting Kurdistan Workers’ party, or PKK, a group within Turkey that has at times violently sought independence for the Kurdish areas of the country and considered a "terrorist organization" by the Turkish government. The YPG, however, have been a critical component of the U.S.-led coalition's fight to reclaim territory in Syria from ISIS.

Mattis has been careful in his comments since the strikes began, repeatedly noting that Turkey has real security problems tied to Kurdish groups, but on Tuesday he raised concerns about how the military action could impact Afrin.

“In the Afrin area we’d actually gotten to the point where humanitarian aid was flowing, refugees were coming back in,” he said. “This clearly disrupts that effort, the Turkish incursion disrupts that effort.”

ISIS has ostensibly lost its territory in Syria, with the YPG often taking a lead position in combat, with the U.S. providing weapons and support. Turkey, a NATO ally, has been upset with the U.S. collaboration with the YPG since it began, with Turkey’s Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım warning in May that it would “surely have consequences and will yield a negative result for the U.S. as well.”

The U.S. proceeded with arming the Kurdish groups, providing a database of weapons and serial numbers to Turkey to help allay its fears.

The airstrikes and ground forces moving into Afrin follow repeated shelling of the area by Turkish artillery.

While the U.S. and its coalition try to build local police forces to maintain the peace in Syria, negotiators continue to seek a diplomatic solution to end the Syrian civil war. Mattis said that the U.S. isn’t interested in having Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad regain control of the areas of the country liberated from ISIS.

“We don’t want to see Assad’s regime return to Afrin,” he said. “We’re going to continue our diplomatic efforts to end the Syrian war.”

http://www.newsweek.com/mattis-warns-is ... rin-787756

[Anthea]

Turkey kills at least 260 Kurdish, Islamic State fighters

ANKARA/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Turkey has killed at least 260 Syrian Kurdish fighters and Islamic State militants in its four-day-old offensive into the Kurdish-dominated Afrin region of northwest Syria, the Turkish military said on Tuesday.

U.S. President Donald Trump plans to raise concerns with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in a phone call expected on Wednesday about Ankara’s offensive against U.S.-backed Kurdish YPG forces in Afrin, a senior U.S. official said.

French President Emmanuel Macron also voiced disquiet, a few hours after Turkey’s foreign minister said it wanted to avoid any clash with U.S., Russian or Syrian government forces during its offensive but would do whatever necessary for its security.

The air and ground operation has opened a new front in Syria’s multi-sided civil war and could threaten U.S. plans to stabilize and rebuild a large area of northeast Syria - beyond President Bashar al-Assad’s control - where Washington helped a force dominated by the YPG to drive out Islamic State militants.

The United States and Russia both have military forces in Syria backing opposing sides and have called for restraint on the part of Ankara’s “Operation Olive Branch” to crush the YPG in the Afrin region near Turkey’s southern border.

A senior Trump administration official, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity, said Ankara had sent “conflicting signals” about the scope of the offensive.

“We’re going to have to see how this develops on the ground. But our message has been unified. We would appreciate it and we would urge them to limit the incursion as much as possible.”

The official said the phone call would happen soon. Another official - as well as Turkey’s foreign minister - said Erdogan and Trump planned to speak on Wednesday.

A statement by Macron’s office said: “Taking into account Turkey’s security imperatives, the president expressed to his Turkish counterpart his concerns following the military intervention launched on Saturday in Afrin.”

Erdogan told Macron on Tuesday Turkey was taking all measures to prevent civilian casualties in the Afrin operation, sources at the presidential palace said. The two leaders agreed to stay in close contact on the issue.

The Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin had also discussed Turkey’s military operation Erdogan by phone and that Syria’s territorial integrity and sovereignty had to be respected.

A Kremlin statement said both men stressed the importance of continuing their two countries’ joint work to try to find a peaceful resolution to Syria’s crisis. Russia has been Assad’s most powerful ally against rebels and militants in Syria.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu reiterated Ankara’s demand that Washington stop supporting the YPG.

Ankara has said the operation will be swift, but Erdogan’s spokesman signaled an open-ended cross-border campaign, saying it would end only when some 3.5 million Syrian refugees now living in Turkey could safely return home.

The United States hopes to use the YPG’s control in northern Syria to give it the diplomatic muscle it needs to revive U.N.-led talks in Geneva on a deal that would end Syria’s civil war.

NEAR BREAKING POINT

Ankara has been infuriated by the U.S. support for the YPG, which is one of several issues that have brought ties between Washington and its Muslim NATO ally close to breaking point.

“The future of our relations depends on the step the United States will take next,” Cavusoglu said.

Turkey’s military, the second largest in NATO, has conducted air strikes and artillery barrages against targets in Afrin, and its soldiers and allied Syrian rebels tried to thrust into the Kurdish-held district from west, north and eastern flanks.

With heavy cloud hindering air support in the last 24 hours, advances have been limited and Kurdish militia have retaken some territory. Turkish troops and the Syrian fighters have been trying to take the summit of Bursaya Hill, overlooking the eastern approach to Afrin town.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said 23 civilians had been killed in Turkish shelling and air strikes, and thousands were fleeing the fighting.

However, Syrian government forces were preventing people from crossing government-held checkpoints to reach the Kurdish-held districts of nearby Aleppo city, it said.

YPG THREAT

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Turkey’s offensive was distracting from efforts to defeat Islamic State.

Ankara says the jihadist group is largely finished in Syria and that the greater threat comes from the YPG, which it sees as an extension of a Kurdish group that has waged a decades-long separatist insurgency inside Turkey.

Erdogan has said Turkey aims to destroy YPG control not just in the Afrin enclave but also in the mainly Arab town of Manbij to the east. “Terrorists in Manbij are constantly firing provocation shots. If the United States doesn’t stop this, we will stop it,” Cavusoglu was reported as saying on Tuesday.

“Our goal is not to clash with Russians, the Syrian regime or the United States, it is to battle the terrorist organization,” broadcaster Haberturk quoted him as saying.

“I must take whatever step I have to. If not, our future as a country is in jeopardy tomorrow... We will not live with fear and threats,” Cavusoglu said.

He tweeted that a lieutenant had become the second Turkish soldier to be killed in the operation. The Observatory said 43 rebels fighting alongside the Turks had also been killed, as well as 38 on the Kurdish side.

Later on Tuesday Cavusoglu discussed the crisis with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson during a conference in Paris.

Erdogan’s spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, said the military operations would continue until Syrian refugees in Turkey “return home safely and the separatist terror organization has been cleansed from the region”.

The Kurdish-led administration of northeastern Syria appealed for a mass mobilization in defense of Afrin. “We call on all our people to defend Afrin and its pride, and contribute in all the related activities,” it said, without elaborating.

A U.N. report, citing local sources, said about 5,000 people in the Afrin district had been displaced as of Monday but that some of the most vulnerable had been unable to flee. It said the United Nations was ready to provide aid to 50,000 in Afrin.

Additional reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu in Ankara, Tom Perry in Beirut, Suleiman al-Khalidi in Amman, Steve Holland in Washington and Michel Rose in Paris; writing by Dominic Evans; editing by Mark Heinrich

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mide ... ld+News%29

[Anthea]

Don’t abandon the Kurds to the ‘mercies’ of Turkey’s tyrant

The United States has been the protector and ally of the Kurds for a quarter-century. And the Kurds have proven to be, man-for-man and woman-for-woman, the best fighters in the region.

Without Kurdish boots on the ground, we would not have made the sweeping progress achieved against the Islamic State caliphate.

Now, with ISIS crushed (but still wriggling and snapping), we’re turning our backs on our Kurdish allies in Syria as they’re attacked by a NATO ally gone rogue — Turkey, which is led by an Islamist strongman, the odious “President” Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The Kurds are fighting for freedom and a state of their own. There are at least 30 million Kurds divided between Syria, Iraq, Iran and Turkey, and possibly 10 million more — none of the states where they’re captive have allowed an honest census. Kurds have been butchered en masse, denied fundamental rights, imprisoned, tortured, raped, cheated and scapegoated. (All of which should sound unnervingly familiar to those who know Israel’s backstory.)

After letting the Kurds down at Versailles a century ago, when we acquiesced to denying them a state, we finally stepped up to do the right thing in the wake of Desert Storm — after Saddam Hussein had used poison gas on Iraq’s Kurdish population. In return, the Kurds have fought bravely beside us in a succession of conflicts.

Outside of Israel, no one has done more to support our priorities — especially in combatting Islamist terrorists.

Now we’re on the verge of permitting another slaughter of Kurds. To please Turkey.

We should be on the side of the underdogs, not of the rabid dogs.

As Turkish tanks roll into Syria’s Afrin Province to kill Kurds, it’s time to recognize that Turkey’s no longer an ally and no longer belongs in NATO (Erdogan is even buying Russian air-defense systems). Turkey’s dictator-in-all-but-name has gutted democracy, imprisoned tens of thousands on false charges, suppressed the free media, rigged the courts, backed Islamist hardliners in Syria — and, for political advantage, reignited a conflict that had gone quiet with Turkey’s internal Kurdish population.

Oh, and Erdogan’s a prime supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood, in Turkey and abroad.

Why on earth are we permitting his attack on our Kurdish allies?

It really comes down to two related issues.

First, inertia. Turkey has been our ally (if a difficult one) since the early Cold War, so we blindly accept the notion that it must remain an ally forever — even as Erdogan works against our strategic interests.

Second, restricted use of a single air base has paralyzed our Turkey policy. Unquestionably, Incirlik air base, in southeastern Turkey, has a prime strategic location. Our operations would be more challenging without it. And Turkey uses that as leverage.

It’s time to call Erdogan’s bluff. We should not sacrifice the future of 30 million to 40 million pro-American Kurds for the sake of a couple of runways.

Erdogan’s excuse for sending his air force and army across the border into Syrian territory liberated by Kurds is his bogus claim that the Kurds we’ve backed — who fought ISIS house to house — are all terrorists. In the alphabet game of the Middle East, Erdogan insists that Syria’s Kurdish YPG forces — our allies — are indistinguishable from the PKK, a Turkish domestic resistance group that had abandoned terror to seek a political accommodation.

While oppressed Kurds everywhere do feel a measure of solidarity with one another, claiming that the YPG is the same as the PKK is like blaming Rand Paul for Mrs. Paul’s Fish Sticks.

What should we do to stop Turkey from using US-supplied, US-made weapons to kill our only dependable regional allies outside of Israel? It’s time to embrace the future rather than clinging to the past. It’s time to imagine a strategy without Incirlik air base and with Turkey suspended from NATO until it returns to the rule of law and honest elections.

It’s time to recognize that the Kurds deserve and have earned a state of their own. And, right now, it’s past time to draw a red line for Erdogan, who cannot be permitted to slaughter Kurds who have been fighting beside us and for us.

The Kurds aren’t terrorists. The terrorist sits in his president’s chair in Ankara.

Ralph Peters is Fox News’ strategic analyst.

posting.php?mode=reply&f=2&t=18384

[Anthea]

Turkey's Attack on the Kurds Is a Betrayal of the U.S.

President Erdogan thinks he can spurn American interests without consequence. How long can such an alliance last?

The U.S. needs to start imagining NATO without Turkey. The latest reason is Turkey’s assault against the Syrian Kurds. The same Kurds who, with U.S. training and support, have borne the brunt of the fighting against Islamic State. Turkey is coordinating its attacks with Iran and Russia -- the very countries the North Atlantic Treaty Organization exists to oppose. U.S. interests appear nowhere in the equation. That’s a long-term strategic problem, which goes beyond the moral outrage every American should feel as our Kurdish allies are murdered from the air by F-16s we sold to Turkey.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan clearly thinks he can contravene U.S. interests without consequence. His insurance policy is the country’s geographical location. Throughout the Cold War, Turkey’s proximity to the Soviet Union made it a great base for NATO troops and missiles. The later U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan assured that the air base at Incirlik remained crucial to American military efforts.

Turkey is still a nice place to have a troop presence. But there must be some limit to what a supposed treaty ally can do to flout the U.S.

Last May in Washington, Erdogan showed his contempt for the Donald Trump administration and the U.S. by allowing (or perhaps directing) his security guards to attack peaceful protesters in a public park across from the Turkish Embassy in Washington. That was an ugly incident, but its full significance can only be appreciated when juxtaposed with Erdogan’s broader regional policies.

It was no accident that Erdogan was treating sovereign U.S. territory as though it were his personal fiefdom. As far as he’s concerned, Trump works for him -- because Trump lacks any recourse against his conduct.

Now Erdogan is engaged in the historic betrayal of American allies who have done the dirty work that no one else in the world wanted to do. Let’s be very clear: Turkey did not send troops to fight Islamic State in Syria. Neither did neighboring Arab states. The U.S. sent military trainers, who could not have won the war on their own. Islamic State could not be defeated entirely from the air, as the experience of the Syrian civil war showed.

There’s only one reason Islamic State has now been all but defeated on the ground in Syria: the YPG Kurdish militia.

In exchange, the Kurds wanted something very simple: somewhere to live where they wouldn’t be massacred by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s army or bombed by Assad’s Russian allies. Sure, they may have hoped for a quasi-autonomous region near the Turkish border, not totally unlike what their Kurdish counterparts have in Iraq. But they are realists, and they would’ve settled for not dying or being forced to flee as refugees.

Now Turkey is bombing them, and Erdogan has declared that Turkey will establish a 30 kilometer “safe zone” where the Kurds may not be -- on the Syrian side of the border, mind you, not the Turkish.

No one knows how many Kurds have died so far in and around Afrin, where the YPG is said to have between 8,000 and 10,000 fighters. No one knows how many Kurdish civilians will be killed, either.

What’s clear is that no one is doing anything to stop it.

That’s not in U.S. interests, to put it mildly. Abandoning allies so publicly and so fast is a great way to make sure no one trusts you in the future. When the reckoning comes for the abandonment of the Syrian Kurds, as it eventually will, the Kurds will hold the U.S. responsible for betraying them.

The Kurds know perfectly well -- and have known all along -- that Turkey doesn’t want them to have even a toehold near Turkish border. But they relied on their close alliance with the U.S. to protect them.

That was perfectly rational. The U.S. has protected and remained allied with the Iraqi Kurds since it first established a no-fly zone in 1991 to stop them from being killed by Saddam Hussein. The U.S. doesn’t want Iraqi Kurdistan to declare independence, but it has accepted and helped sustain the Kurds’ de facto autonomy -- despite many years of opposition by Turkey.

Turkey under Erdogan is now moving inexorably closer to Iran and Russia. The Iranians, whose concern about Kurds living within their territory is comparable to the Turks’, are thrilled to see the Kurds being put down.

And Russian President Vladimir Putin couldn’t care less about the Kurds, provided Turkey respects Assad’s questionable sovereignty over Syria. For Putin, the long game is pulling Turkey into the Russian camp of nations that act against U.S. interests with impunity.

It would be nice to look beyond Erdogan to a future Turkish government that better appreciates its relationship with the U.S. But given Erdogan’s increasingly autocratic rule, that can’t be counted on in the foreseeable future.

The ultimate takeaway here is that Turkey fully understands that the U.S. will pay the political price for its bombing of the Syrian Kurds.

When Americans ask, “Why do they hate us?” episodes like the betrayal of the Syrian Kurds are a big part of the answer.

Everyone understands that self-interest dictates foreign policy. But the U.S. always takes the moral high ground in describing its objectives, such as defeating Islamic State.

So when the U.S. blatantly allows its NATO ally to destroy the people who did it, the hypocrisy is particularly horrible. And when the moral calculus is drawn, it won’t be an excuse that there was no way to stop Erdogan.

All alliances have their natural end. Unless Erdogan stops spitting in Trump’s face, the U.S.-Turkey alliance is heading for its expiration date.
This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

To contact the author of this story:
Noah Feldman at nfeldman7@bloomberg.net

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles ... of-the-u-s

[Anthea]

Turkmen-Arab union praises Turkey's Afrin operation

Syrian Turkmen and Arab Tribes Union says Kurds also want to live 'freely' and away from PYD/PKK pressure

A group representing Syria’s ethnic Turkmen and Arabs have praised Turkey's ongoing Operation Olive Branch in Afrin.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Ethnic Syrian Turkmen and Arab Tribes Union said: "Similar to us, our Kurdish brothers have had enough of the pressure from terror group PYD/PKK and want to live in freedom at last."

The union said it had no issues with Syrian Kurds who fled to other countries and urged them to return home.

Underscoring that Turkmen and Arabs have lived like brothers with the Kurds, the Union also said they wanted to continue living together.

"There is no separation between Kurds, Turks and Arabs. We are brothers, sisters, no one should create rift between us.

“Our Kurdish brothers, sisters have had enough of the pressure from terrorist PYD/PKK and want to live in freedom at last.

“Our Kurdish brothers, sisters who had to flee their country should return to their lands and live freely," it said.

Terror groups PYD/PKK and Daesh are the common enemy of Syria's Kurds, Turkmens and Arabs, the statement said.

"We want to live with the Kurds fraternally on the same land, hopefully, once the Operation Olive Branch started by Turkey clears the region from terror group PYD/PKK."

On Saturday, Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch to remove PYD/PKK and Daesh terrorists from Afrin, northwestern Syria, on Turkey’s border.

According to the Turkish General Staff, the operation aims to establish security and stability along Turkish borders and the region as well as to protect the Syrian people from the oppression and cruelty of terrorists.

The operation is being carried out under the framework of Turkey’s rights based on international law, UN Security Council resolutions, and its right to self-defense under the UN charter and respect for Syria's territorial integrity, it said.

The military also said "utmost importance" is being placed on not harming any civilians.

Afrin has been a major hideout for the PYD/PKK since July 2012 when the Assad regime in Syria left the city to the terror group without putting up a fight.

https://www.yenisafak.com/en/news/turkm ... on-3023203

[Anthea]

Syrian Turkmen and Arab Tribes Union says Kurds also want to live 'freely' and away from PYD/PKK pressure

Love them or hate them:

Without the PYD's involvement in Western Kurdistan, many Kurds would have been killed or made to grow long beards and prevented from washing and their women would be made to wear black rubbish sacks

YES many iof the PYD probably benefitted from PKK training and support - but without training they would NOT have beaten ISIS

Never forget:

Western Kurdistan has been fighting it's own war for independence since long before the formation of the PKK there people were fighting and being killed in the mountains of Western Kurdistan

Kurds from Western Kurdistan probably started to take more note of the PKK when Ocalan's image was improved and he was given the nick-name APO after the FAMOUS and MUCH LOVED Western Kurdistan leader and poet

Even if the PYG were totally PKK (which it is not), it would still contain many thousands of Kurds from Western Kurdistan who have been joining the PKK's fight for freedom for many years

Western Kurdistan loyalty:

Those who have fought for a free Western Kurdistan over the years are NOT happy that their leaders have been forgotten and Ocalan's face is everywhere

Nor are they happy that the name Western Kurdistan that generations of Kurds fought and died for has been replaced with: Democratic Federation of Northern Syria

The true patriots of want recognition for their country WESTERN KURDISTAN

[Anthea]

Erdogan threatens to extend Afrin operation to Manbij and beyond

Please click on image to enlarge:

This image may or may not be factual

The Turkish military has shelled and bombarded Syrian Kurdish positions in northern Syria for a fifth day, as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to extend the offensive east of the city of Manbij.

Turkey on Saturday launched the operation in the Afrin region to clear it of US-backed Kurdish fighters, seen by Ankara as a threat to its security.

Manbij, which is also under control of US-backed Kurds, is located east of the city of Aleppo. Erdogan said he plans to "foil games along our borders starting from Manbij", adding that Turkey would, "clean our region from this trouble completely".

The Turkish military said on Wednesday that 260 Kurdish and ISIL fighters were killed in the incursion, a claim refuted by a Kurdish commander, who said the number was "greatly exaggerated".

Turkish troops have taken control of various Syrian Kurdish positions and created "safe zones" in these areas, according to Turkish media.

One Turkish soldier has died during the operation, according to the military.

Fight against ISIL/ISIS

The Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its armed People's Protection Units (YPG) have come to control large expanses of northern Syria, including Afrin, in the course of the Syrian war.

The YPG was at the forefront of the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group, which had captured large parts of Syria and neighbouring Iraq in 2014.

Redur Xelil, a senior official from Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) led by the YPG, confirmed that several YPG and SDF fighters had been killed, but declined to say how many.

He also denied the claim that there were ISIL fighters taking part in the fight for Afrin.

Turkey sees the YPG as a "terrorist group" that acts as the Syrian offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged a bloody three-decade fight against the Turkish state.

The US, however, sees the YPG as an effective group in the fight against ISIL/ISIS in the region.

The Turkish operation against the US' Kurdish allies could threaten Washington's plans to stabilise and rebuild a large area in northeast Syria - beyond President Bashar al-Assad's control - where the US supported a force dominated by the YPG to drive out the ISILISIS group.

Erdogan and Trump to talk

Erdogan and his US counterpart Donald Trump will speak over the phone on Wednesday to discuss the situation in Afrin, according to Mevlut Cavusoglu, the Turkish foreign minister.

The US and Russia have both called on Ankara to exercise restraint during its current "Operation Olive Branch".

The Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin had also discussed Turkey's military operation with Erdogan by phone, saying that Syria's territorial integrity and sovereignty had to be respected.

A Kremlin statement said both men stressed the importance of continuing their two countries' joint work to try to find a peaceful resolution to Syria's crisis. Russia has been Assad's most powerful ally against rebels and fighters in Syria.

Al Jazeera's Stefanie Dekker, reporting from the Turkey-Syria border, said the United Nations estimates the Turkish offensive has displaced about 5,000 civilians in the Afrin district so far.

"The problem is they can't get out. They can't get out to Turkey [and] they can't really get out of the province," she said, adding that humanitarian organisations do not have access to the area.

Sources in Afrin told Al Jazeera some residents do not want to leave, while others have accused the YPG of not allowing them to get out, Dekker said.

"It is very much a propaganda war from every side. You need to take everything with a pinch of salt: the figures, the death tolls, what happens, what [are] the facts on the ground," she said.

"What you're seeing now, with ISIL/ISIS having been pushed out largely from Syria, is this power play of the international actors. The YPG is the US' best ally, so it's a very complex situation."

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/01/t ... 13964.html

[Anthea]

Fears over US-Turkey military confrontation in Syria

A US-backed Kurdish militia has deployed fighters to the frontline of Syria's Manbij to battle Turkey's military after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said it would be next after launching the cross-border Afrin operation.

Manbij is about 100km east of Afrin where the United States has military personnel deployed in the fight against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), meaning troops from the NATO allies could come face to face on the battlefield.

The US military coalition operating in Manbij said soldiers there have the right defend themselves against any attack, and wouldn't hesitate to do so.

"Clearly we are very alert to what is happening, specifically in the area of Manbij because that is where our ... coalition forces are," spokesman Colonel Ryan Dillon told Reuters news agency. "The coalition forces that are in that area have an inherent right to defend themselves and will do so if necessary."

Sharfan Darwish of the Manbij Military Council - a unit of the YPG Syrian-Kurd militia currently under attack by Turkey in Afrin - said his forces were preparing to confront Turkish soldiers.

"We are in full readiness to respond to any attack. Of course our coordination with the international coalition continues with regards to the protection of Manbij," said Darwish.

WATCH: How will new front in Syria war impact US-Turkey ties?

The intensifying situation in northern Syria led to a phone call between Erdogan and US President Donald Trump on Wednesday.

Trump expressed concern about Turkey's "destructive and false rhetoric" over the situation and urged caution so US and Turkish troops don't engage in battle.

"He urged Turkey to de-escalate, limit its military actions, and avoid civilian casualties and increases to displaced persons and refugees," a White House statement said.

"He urged Turkey to exercise caution and to avoid any actions that might risk conflict between Turkish and American forces."

Erdogan threatened earlier Wednesday to extend the Afrin offensive to Manbij to "clean our region from this trouble completely".
Decades-long insurgency

Turkey sees the YPG - trained, armed and supported by the US to fight against ISIL - as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has fought a bloody decades-long insurgency in the country.

Erdogan indicated one aim of the anti-YPG operation was to create a safe zone where some of the more than three million Syrians who fled to Turkey in the civil war could return.

"First we will exterminate the terrorists, then we will make the area liveable. For who? For the 3.5 million Syrian guests in our land," Erdogan said.

Turkey's government has hit out at "propaganda" against its cross-border action. Erdogan's spokesman Ibrahim Kalin has urged the media and public to be aware of "fake, distortive and provocative news".

Meanwhile, rockets fired from northern Syria slammed into a mosque and a house on Wednesday inside Turkey, killing two people and wounding 11 others. The projectiles were fired in the early evening into the border province of Kilis.

One Syrian and one Turk were killed, the Kilis governor's office said, in attacks it blamed on the YPG militia in Syria.

The Turkish military said 260 Kurdish and ISIL fighters were killed so far in the five-day Afrin incursion - a claim refuted by a Kurdish commander who said the number was "greatly exaggerated".

Redur Xelil, an official from Syria Democratic Forces led by the YPG, denied the claim that ISIL fighters were involved in the fight for Afrin.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/01/c ... 52700.html