Destruction of Western Kurdistan by absolutely EVERYONE

[Anthea]

Trump builds wall it's wrong Erdogan builds a wall it's alright

Many countries laugh at President Trump for wanting to build a wall to keep dangerous drugs from being smuggled into America but those same countries say nothing when Erdogan builds a wall to further isolate the Kurds

Now Erdogans wall is growing and the Turkish army has built new guard posts on Efrîn border

The invading Turkish army started to build new guard posts on Rojava border

The invading Turkish army is increasing its activities on the border between Northern (Bakure) Kurdistan and Western (Rojava) Kurdistan

The Turkish army is building new guard posts in the area bordering Efrîn’s Raco region during the night

Turkish troops have also deployed heavy weaponry on the road leading to Mount Gêr

[Anthea]

In my valued opinion this wall is designed to keep the Kurds in Syria away from those in Turkey

For some reason it is difficult to find many recent videos on the WALL

phpBB [video]

Direct Link:
https://youtu.be/TolmODmaTJQ

[Anthea]

Some images of the WALL



This part will keep both animals and humans from the water



Like a giant snake



Trump could learn lessons from this

[Anthea]

Turkey plans construction
blitz in Syria safe zone

Turkey has plans for a massive construction project to build new communities in northern Syria as part of its intent to resettle at least a million refugees across the border, according to Turkish presidential sources

Unnamed sources told Turkish media Haberturk on Friday that 140 villages, each to house 5,000 Syrian refugees, and 10 districts, each accommodating 30,000 Syrian refugees, will be built in the so-called safe zone Turkey wants to see established some 30-40 kilometres deep into Syrian territory.

In total, 200,000 residences will be built to house about a million Syrians who have fled to Turkey since the civil conflict erupted in 2011 and the subsequent rise of the brutal extremist Islamic State (ISIS).

The construction plans also include sport halls, schools, youth centres, mosques, and medical clinics. The whole project is estimated to cost about $27 billion. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shared this plan with American officials during his visit to the United Nations General Assembly this week, according to Turkish media reports.

Turkey and the US agreed in early August to set up a safe zone in some parts of northern Syria to address Ankara’s security concerns about the Kurdish forces in northern Syria. Ankara and Washington have also discussed relocating some of the 3.6 million Syrian refugees living in Turkey, though they appear to still disagree on the details.

“We want to be able to resettle two million Syrians into the peace corridor with the support of the international community,” Erdogan told world leaders at the UN on Tuesday, holding up a map of the proposed safe zone that encompasses Turkey’s entire border with the Kurdish region of northern Syria.

"If we can extend this corridor to the Deir ez-Zor-Raqqa line, we can increase the number of Syrians to return home from Turkey, Europe, and other countries to up to three million," he added.

The depth of this zone is a major point of disagreement between Turkey, the US, and the Kurdish-led forces and civil administration that governs the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (NES).

Kurdish officials have said the zone will not exceed 14 kilometres and that refugees not originally from the area will be prohibited from settling there.

“We have informed the Americans that only local people from the area can come back. And they know this,” Ilham Ahmed, co-leader of the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) told the Defense Post in an interview on September 24.

Asked about the US position on this issue, Washington’s special envoy for Syria James Jeffrey said in a briefing on Thursday that any returns must be voluntary and should involve the UN’s refugee agency. “But we have signed up for the return of refugees to their homes if they came to that area,” he added.

“That’s part of our overall position on the Syrian conflict in general, and including the northeast, and including in this arrangement,” he explained.

The US-backed armed group in northern Syria, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), is led by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), which Turkey sees as the Syrian offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Ankara considers the SDF presence on its border a security threat. American officials have said they understand Turkey’s concerns but will not abandon their Kurdish allies who led the offensive against ISIS in northern Syria.

Complying with the safe zone agreement made between the US and Turkey, the SDF has withdrawn from some areas along the border and destroyed their fortifications to demonstrate their commitment to the deal IDIOTS

Turkish and US troops have begun aerial and ground patrols in the proposed safe zone, but Erdogan says this is not enough. He has threatened to go it alone, establishing the safe zone by the end of September if the US does not act more quickly.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/syria/27092019

[Anthea]

Turkey announces northern
Syria belongs to Arabs

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s recent comments on northern Syria may have far-reaching consequences. Before his departure for New York to participate in the UN General Assembly this week, he said: “We have to clear the region (northern Syria) from the terrorist organisations and return it to its original owners. And the original owners are mainly Arabs –up to 85 to 90 percent.”

The percentage mentioned by Erdoğan may cause controversy, because it may raise the question of who are the remaining 10 percent of the region’s population. Are they Turkmens or Kurds, or other minorities? A CIA report of 2019 claims that the percentage of Kurds in Syria is around 10 percent.

But there are also Turkmens in the region and their percentage is believed to be around 10 percent as well. So, if the Arabs constitute 90 percent of the region’s population, are the remaining 10 percent Kurds or Turkmens?

In addition to them, there are also other religious, sectarian or ethnic minorities in the region, such as Christians (Armenians, Assyrians, Greek Orthodox and Maronites) and Yezidis.

Erdoğan’s statement raises two questions. One is that, in his Sept. 24 address to the UN General Assembly, he proposed building houses on a belt of 20 to 30 km deep inside Syria, east of the River Euphrates, to accommodate Syrian refugees who will return from Turkey or elsewhere.

This proposal raises the question of determining on whose land these houses are going to be built. If the Syrian population registry and land registry prove that the Kurds constitute the majority in the region, it will be difficult to justify the construction of houses for non-Kurdish refugees in this area.

The other question that Erdoğan’s statement raises is that Turkey re-emphasises its commitment to return the area to its original owners. The verification of the original owners requires sensitive scrutiny. Turkey cannot justify to the international community (and less so to the United States) refusing to return the land to Kurds if they turn out to be the majority of the population in a given area.

To make it more complicated, there is also the sensitive issue of Syrian authorities stripping the Kurds of their citizenship in 1962, then re-admitting them to citizenship in 2011. In 1962, 20 percent of Syria’s Kurdish population were stripped of citizenship on the grounds that they had been fraudulently registered in 1945 when they illegally migrated from the neighbouring countries, mainly from Turkey. This is why there are, at present, innumerable Kurdish divided families between Turkey and Syria.

The Syrian government asked Kurds to hand over their identity card so that they could be renewed. Some handed them over, but did not receive anything in return. This category of Kurds was registered as foreigners. Others refused to hand over their cards. They were nonetheless stripped of citizenship and listed as unregistered, which is a status even lower than foreigners.

Kurds in both of these categories were refused the right to work in the public sector, could not travel abroad, they could not buy or sell real estate and their marriages and divorces could not be registered. Sometimes parents had citizenship, but not their children. The state sometimes gave real estate belonging to people stripped of citizenship to Arab settlers.

In April 2011, weeks after the first demonstrations that sparked the civil war, Syrian President Bashar Assad decided to correct this injustice and give citizenship to many Kurds to gain their support or buy their allegiance. The exact number of those who were readmitted to citizenship is not known, but it is estimated to be between 120,000 and 130,000. Since they were not allowed to own real estate for decades, will the houses they lived in and fields they farmed be considered theirs? And what will happen to those who were not re-admitted to the citizenship?

This raises another opportunity – or requirement - for cooperation between the Turkish and Syrian governments, because without Syrian cooperation it is almost impossible to determine who were the original owners of large parts of northern Syria.

https://ahvalnews.com/syrian-conflict/t ... tebeY_S8wE

[Anthea]

Syria demands withdrawal
of Turkish and US forces

Syria’s foreign minister has demanded the immediate withdrawal of “occupying” American and Turkish forces from Syrian soil and condemned the safe zone the two countries are establishing along the northern border

“The United States and Turkey maintain an illegal military presence in northern Syria. They have been so arrogant, to the point of holding discussions and reaching agreements on the creation of a so-called safe zone inside Syria, as if they were planning to establish this zone on American or Turkish soil. This is a violation of international law and the UN Charter,” Walid al-Moualem, Syria’s deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, told the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Saturday.

US and Turkish forces this month began conducting joint patrols on the Syrian side of the border with Turkey as part of a plan to establish a “safe zone” stretching the length of Turkey’s border with the Kurdish-led autonomous administration of northern Syria. Turkey demanded the establishment of the zone as a security measure, accusing the Syrian Kurdish forces of ties with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

Turkey’s military has crossed the border into Syria several times in recent years, carrying out operations against the Islamic State (ISIS) and the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), and establishing observation posts in Idlib as part of an agreement with Russia. The United States has troops on the ground in northern Syria where they partnered with the YPG-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to fight ISIS.

“Any foreign forces operating in our territories without our authorization are occupying forces and must withdraw immediately,” Moualem told the UN. “Should they refuse, we have the right to take any and all counter measures authorized under international law.”

Damascus has repeatedly condemned the presence of foreign forces on its territory without its authorization, but has been unable to compel the Turks or Americans to withdraw.

The “safe zone” is being established on territory that is under control of the SDF and the local administration that has largely avoided clashing with the Syrian regime throughout the conflict. Though the Kurdish-led forces control more than a quarter of the country, Kurds feel they are under-represented on the constitutional committee.

Kurds have historically been denied cultural and political rights by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his father, Hafez, for decades. Many Kurds still do not have Syrian citizenship and they have little faith in the constitutional talks.

The constitutional committee will convene for the first time on October 30 in Geneva, the UN announced in a document on Friday.

Moualem cautioned that the committee, which took nearly two years of negotiations to form, must not be rushed.

“No deadlines or timetables must be imposed on the committee,” he said at the UN. “Each step taken must be prudent and informed, since the constitution is the essential step in the determination of Syria’s future. Although we remain committed to making progress, such progress must be on firm footing to meet the aspirations of Syrians.”

According to the UN document, the committee could choose to amend the current constitution or draft an entirely new one. The next step after the constitution will be holding elections.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/syria/28092019

[Anthea]

Erdogan's goal is to empty
Western Kurdistan of Kurds

Following the geographic elimination of ISIS by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in March 23, ISIS sought new methods of massacres and attacks against the region. In parallel, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan began making threats against the region.

Another important issue is the establishment of an international tribunal and the prosecution of mercenaries. Erdogan put all his weight in order to obstruct the establishment of such a court. The establishment of an international tribunal and the prosecution of mercenaries would reveal the covert countries that formed, supported and adopted ISIS. The most vulnerable are the Turkish state and the Erdogan-Bahceli coalition (head of the MHP).

Erdogan's style is escalation to get what he wants

The first stages of the border security understanding were implemented. But if we look carefully at the understanding, Erdogan has raised the tone of his threats after the understanding was launched at a time when the exact opposite was supposed to happen. This means, completely relying on the escalation method. On September 18, Erdogan said, "If we don't reach a conclusion within two weeks, we will act unilaterally." This statement comes within the framework of maintaining a high level of escalation.

The goal of extortion is to expand the territory

Erdogan sees the provision of a 5-kilometer border security zone and joint patrols as an obstacle to sustainable occupation. Therefore, he seeks to impose his vision in an area 30 km deep.

This was demonstrated by Erdogan's speech at the 74th session of the UN General Assembly. During his speech, Erdogan presented a map of his occupation plans. On the one hand, Erdogan accused Israel of changing the map of Palestine. On the other hand, he himself presented his plans to change the map of northern and eastern Syria. This, revealed the real face of Erdogan. Of course, Erdogan was trying to put pressure on Western powers ahead of the meeting with US President Donald Trump.

The whole world is aware that the fascist alliance between Erdogan and Bahceli does not seek to secure borders. The imposition of a 30 km border security zone would mean the occupation of the territory of northern and eastern Syria.

The plan is an occupation under the name of border security and settlements

When Erdogan was talking about his occupational plan, he stated that Turkey would set up settlements and asked for material support from the countries of the international coalition to fight ISIS. Erdogan's words were accompanied by soft talk of settlement units with garden apartments. This talk illustrates Erdogan's colonial plans and goals in changing demography.

The area where Erdogan spoke and seeks to settle for refugees, has a population of millions. This means the resettlement of refugees in Turkey, as in Afrin, through the displacement of the indigenous population.

In fact, it is more correct to call the “mercenary settlements” that Erdogan seeks to create. Erdogan aims, through the application of his vision, to reach the limits of the Milli Charter and revive the imagination of the new Ottoman. Erdogan wants to implement this plan by committing massacres against the Kurds, demographic change and the elimination of everything related to the Kurds.

On the other hand, Erdogan seeks to reorganize mercenaries, which would pose a threat to the world and not only to Western Kurdistan. Implementing Erdogan's plan in settlement units means plunging the world into terrorist outposts.

What Turkey is seeking from the border security zone, ANHA asked the HDP's Foreign Relations officer, the party's co-presidency assistant, Hishiyar Ozsoy, and the spokesman of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), Saleh Muslim.

'They want to hinder the formation of a Kurdish entity'

Hishiyar Ozsoy explained that from the beginning the Turkish state had no intention of securing the border. "In the real sense on the other side of the border there are no threats of shooting on the Turkish side. Basically, there is no need for those fears, the Autonomous Administration has confirmed its willingness to solve the problems. "Erdogan's logic is based solely on anti-Kurds and now controls the Turkish Republic. Its main logic is to impede the formation of an autonomous Kurdish entity. The main threat is not firing towards Turkey from Rojava. They are trying to eliminate the danger of a Kurdish or autonomous region."

The Afrin-Kobani road was blocked, is there a similar scheme to Kobani-Jazeera road?

Ozsoy explained that Turkey is using the Syrian refugees' paper to prevent the creation of a Kurdish entity. "They want to settle the Sunni Arabs who came to Turkey from different regions. In other words, what Hafez al-Assad was seeking in the early 1960s by forming an Arab belt, Erdogan is trying to implement today.”

As a result, they do not want to see Kurdish rule in the border area. In this context, they blocked the road between Kobani and Afrin. Now they want to block the road between Jazeera and Kobani. That is to say, a policy of forming a geography free of Kurds and Arabizing it. "There is a lot of pressure in this direction and they can buy European silence."

“In the event of an attack, Turkey will face serious sanctions”

Following Turkey's receipt of Russia's S-400 missile defense system, the US Congress put considerable pressure on Trump to impose sanctions on Turkey. Trump is still trying to block sanctions. During the G-20 summit, Erdogan met with Trump, the US president said, "a path will be reached through dialogue."

"By purchasing the Russian C-400 air defense system, Erdogan directed all Congressional arrows toward him," Ozsoy added. "But an attack on Western Kurdistan without US approval would be a miscalculation."

Ozsoy recalled that a delegation of the Peoples’ Democratic Party held meetings in the United States a few days ago. Trump will resist against the pressure of Congress and will be forced to impose new sanctions on Turkey.

'Turkish kneeling policy still alive'

For his part, the Democratic Union Party’s (PYD) spokesman Saleh Muslim said that since 2010, Turkey has plans for Syria. Turkey continues to insist on annihilating the Kurds and bringing about demographic change in the Kurdish regions, and as a result of the bankruptcy of its policies in Turkey, Turkey is resorting to blackmail.

The whole world, before the changes in the Middle East, only Turkey remained in the back. Now they want to implement a policy of kneeling based on the elimination of the Kurds, Armenians, Syrians and democratic system. They want to apply this in the four parts of Kurdistan. "What Turkey has done in Bakur is no less than ISIS’ acts in northern and eastern Syria and no less than what it does in Afrin."

The Safe Zone scheme dates back to 2012

Since 2012 there has been a "safe zone" scheme. Therefore, the Turkish state opened its borders in order to displace the population of Western Kurdistan. Turkey planned to exploit the refugees and bring about demographic change.

https://www.hawarnews.com/en//haber/erd ... Q.facebook

[Anthea]

Unilateral military operation by
Ankara into northeast Syria

A US Pentagon official said Saturday that any single-handed military operation by Turkey in northeast Syria would cause “grave concern” to Washington hours after President Erdogan threatened to launch a solo operation against Kurdish forces in the area

"Any uncoordinated military operation by Turkey would be of grave concern as it would undermine our shared interest of a secure northeast Syria and the enduring defeat of ISIS [Islamic State]," Commander Sean Robertson, a Pentagon spokesman, told Rudaw via email on Saturday.

In apparent frustration at US-Turkey joint operation progress, Turkey’s president threatened earlier Saturday to launch a military operation into northeastern Syria, where US troops are deployed and have been trying to defuse tension between Washington’s two allies — Ankara and the Syrian Kurds.

The Turkish leader has repeatedly expressed his frustration with Washington’s support for Kurdish groups in Syria. His threats continued despite a deal reached with Washington in August to carry out joint patrols and move Kurdish fighters away from the border.

“We have given all kinds of warning regarding the east of the Euphrates to the relevant parties. We have acted with enough patience,” Erdogan said, adding their operation could commence "maybe today, maybe tomorrow."

But Robertson refuted the idea that joint operations were moving too slowly, saying they are “on time, or ahead of schedule, in many areas.”

Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said it is committed to the agreement between Turkey and the US to preserve stability in the region, but issued a stern warning in the face of Erdogan’s threats.

“We will not hesitate to turn any unprovoked attack by Turkey into an all-out war on the entire border to DEFEND ourselves and our people,” the spokesman for the SDF Mustafa Bali tweeted Saturday.

#SDF is committed to the security mechanism framework and has been taking necessary steps to preserve stability in the region. However we will not hesitate to turn any unprovoked attack by Turkey into an all-out war on the entire border to DEFEND ourselves and our people.
— Mustafa Bali (@mustefabali) October 5, 2019

Turkey views the People’s Protection Units, or YPG, as an extension of a Kurdish insurgency within its own borders, and expects the US to stop supporting them. The group, loosely linked with the SDF, forms the core of US-backed Syrian forces against ISIS.

Robertson expressed continued Pentagon committal to counter-ISIS operations in northeastern Syria, saying the US has been "extremely clear" towards Ankara that "even after the territorial defeat of ISIS, its resurgence remains a threat” in the area.

Turkey and the US disagree on the size of the area to be monitored by the joint patrols, and also on who is to oversee it. Turkey wants its soldiers to monitor an area as deep as 30 kilometers (19 miles). The US and the Kurds have identified an area only as deep as 14 kilometers (9 miles) deep.

Addressing reporters on Friday, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said he had engaged in a “long conversation” with his Turkish counterpart on Thursday on how to move forward with joint patrols.

“Right now we're focused on making the security mechanism functional in northern -- northeast Syria … this was the specific focus of our discussion, and I made very clear to him and he agreed as well that we need to make the security mechanism work," he said.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeas ... /051020191

[Anthea]

This map clearly shows how Kurdish land goes further south and was divided from the Kurdish lands further north against their will

[Anthea]

Kurds send troops to Western
Kurdistan/Turkish border

Kurdish Militias Dispatch Massive Troops, Military Equipment to Borders with Turkey After Ankara's Recent Threats

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have dispatched massive military equipment and troops to borders with Turkey after recent threats by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to launch military operations in Eastern Euphrates, battlefield sources in Western Kurdistan said.

The sources said that hundreds of Kurdish militias together with their military hardware and equipment have been sent to an area stretching from Ra'as al-Ain to Tal Abyaz and Kobani along borders with Turkey.

They also pointed to the reinforcing of military positions by the SDF in the towns of al-Advanieh, al-Moshirefeh, Zazoueh and al-Tavilah near Ra'as al-Ain in Hasaka and Tal Abyaz in Northern Raqqa near the border with Turkey, and said that the SDF has declared a state of full alert.

The Xeber news website, affiliated to the Kurdish militias, reported that the US fighter jets have been flying over Tal Abyaz, Solouk and Ain Issa close to the border with Turkey in Hasaka as the US Army military patrols have also been seen.

Meantime, President Erdogan warned that Turkey will conduct airstrikes and ground operations against Kurdish militias in Eastern Euphrates soon

In relevant remarks on Saturday, President Erdogan said that "Turkey is ready for an operation East of the Euphrates River in Northern Syria to clear the region of terrorists," (meaning PKK affiliates)

Addressing the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party's 29th Consultation and Assessment meeting in Kizilcahaman, a retreat town of capital Ankara, Erdogan said Turkey aims to establish peace East of the Euphrates River by purging the Syrian region from terrorists, Anadolu news agency reported.

"We have completed our preparations and action plan, the necessary instructions were given. It is maybe today or tomorrow the time to clear the way for [our] peace efforts which is set and the process for them was started. We will carry out a ground and air operation," Erdogan noted.

"Our aim is, I underline it, to shower East of Euphrates with peace," he added.

Turkey has long complained about the threat of terrorists coming from East of the Euphrates in Northern Syria, which neighbors its Southern border, vowing to take a military action to prevent formation of a "terrorist corridor" there.

Turkey made all kinds of warning to the related parties of the issue on establishing a safe zone in Northern Syria, Erdogan said.

"We have been patient enough. Land patrols, air patrols [carried out with the US for safe zone], we see that all were a tale," the president added.

The US and Turkish troops carried out their first joint ground patrol for the zone on September 9.

While Turkey welcomes the joint patrols, it has also announced that the US is not doing enough to set up the safe zone properly.

On August 7, Turkish and US military officials agreed to set up a safe zone in Northern Syria and develop a peace corridor to facilitate the movement of displaced Syrians who want to return home. They also agreed to establish a joint operations center.

Turkey has long championed the idea of terrorist-free safe zones in Syria. It has stressed ridding the area of the terrorist YPG, the Syrian branch of the PKK, as well as resettling Syrian migrants currently sheltered in Turkey.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK - listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US and the EU - has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.

https://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13980714001179

[Anthea]

Turkey set to redraw map
of Syrian war once more

A looming Turkish incursion into northern Syria is set to reshape the map of the Syrian conflict once again, dealing a blow to Kurdish-led forces that have battled Islamic State while widening Turkey’s territorial control at the border

This would be Turkey’s third such incursion since 2016. Motivated largely by the aim of containing Syrian Kurdish power, Turkey already has troops on the ground across an arc of northwestern Syria, the last stronghold of anti-Damascus rebels.

WHAT DOES TURKEY WANT?

Turkey has two main goals in northeast Syria: to drive the Kurdish YPG militia which it deems a security threat away from its border, and to create a space inside Syria where 2 million Syria refugees currently hosted in Turkey can be settled.

It had been pushing the United States to jointly establish a “safe zone” extending 20 miles (32 km) into Syrian territory, but repeatedly warned it could take unilateral military action after accusing Washington of dragging its feet.

President Tayyip Erdogan has recently talked about pushing even deeper into Syria, beyond the proposed “safe zone” region to the cities of Raqqa and Deir al-Zor, in order to allow still more refugees to return to Syria.

HOW WILL THE KURDS BE AFFECTED?

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have spent years expanding its control across northern and eastern Syria, helped by the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State.

A rare case of a winner in the Syrian war, the Kurds and their allies have set up their own governing bodies while always insisting their aim is autonomy, not independence.

This is the major difference between the original Kurds in Western Kurdistan, who have been fighting - and dying - for an independent Western Kurdistan and the opportunity to eventually join with other parts of Kurdistan, in the formation of ONE KURDISTAN

The newer influx of Kurds, who came into Western Kurdistan to help with the fight against ISIS, have usurped the original Kurdish population. Ignored their hopes and dreams. And even SHAMEFULLY removed the name Western Kurdistan from the land

All of this could unravel in the event of a major Turkish invasion that would plunge the area into warfare. The SDF-affiliated Syrian Democratic Council said an attack would trigger a new wave of mass displacement.

For the SDF alliance, in which the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia is the dominant force, much will depend on whether the United States continues to keep forces in other parts of the northeast and east. A full U.S. withdrawal would expose the area to the risk of more Turkish advances, an Islamic State revival, or attempts by Iranian and Russian-backed government forces to gain ground.

Confronted by the prospect of U.S. withdrawal last year, the Kurds beat a path to Damascus for talks over allowing the Syrian government and its ally Russia to deploy at the border.

The talks made no progress, but such negotiations could be an option again in the event of a wider U.S. withdrawal.

HOW FAR COULD TURKEY GO?

The northeastern border region, currently controlled by Kurdish-led forces, stretches 480 km (300 miles) from the Euphrates river in the west to the Iraq border to the east.

The immediate focus of Turkey’s military plans appears to be around a section of the border between the towns of Ras al-Ain and Tel Abyad, which are about 100 km apart. A U.S. official told Reuters on Monday U.S. forces had withdrawn from observation posts there.

Although under the control of Kurdish-led forces, that part of the border has historically had a strong Arab presence.

“It’s a region where the population is Arab and where Turkey has good ties with the leading groups,” said Ozgur Unluhisarcikli of the German Marshall Fund. If the YPG tries to hold territory there “it will lose a lot of blood,” he said.

Turkey has not spelt out the scope or the initial focus of its planned operation. “The location, time and scope for implementing the measures against security risks will once again be decided by Turkey,” a Turkish official told Reuters.

DO RUSSIA AND IRAN BACK TURKEY’S MOVE?

Russia and Iran, the other two major foreign powers in Syria, strongly support President Bashar al-Assad - unlike Turkey and the United States which both called for him to stand down and supported rebels fighting to overthrow him.

Russia has said that Turkey has the right to defend itself, but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that Syria’s territorial integrity must be preserved and that all foreign military forces “with illegal presence” should leave Syria.

If the U.S. pulls out all its troops from northeast Syria, the Damascus government - backed by Russia - may try to retake control of much of the region not seized by Turkey.

WHAT IS THE WESTERN REACTION TO TURKEY’S PLAN?

There has been no public support from Turkey’s Western allies for its plan to settle 2 million Syrians - more than half of the refugees it currently hosts - in northeast Syria.

The main Western concerns are that an influx of Sunni Arab Syrians into the largely Kurdish northeast would change the demographics of the region

The United Nations regional coordinator for the Syria crisis said all sides should avoid major displacement of civilians if Turkey launches an assault.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR ASSAD?

While the territory in question is already outside Syrian government control, a Turkish incursion would mean the area switching from a non-hostile force - the SDF - to Turkey and rebels that have sought to topple Assad.

Damascus has long viewed Turkey as an occupying power with designs on northern Syria. It has also at times suggested a willingness to strike a deal with the Kurds, though their last negotiations got nowhere.

WHAT COULD THIS MEAN FOR ISLAMIC STATE?

Chaos could present Islamic State with an opportunity to stage a revival and the SDF has been conducting operations against IS sleeper cells since capturing its final territorial foothold earlier this year.

Syrian Kurdish leaders have long warned that the SDF may not be able to continue holding ISIS prisoners if the situation was destabilized by a Turkish invasion.

The SDF is still holding 5,000 ISIS fighters of Syrian and Iraqi nationality and a further 1,000 foreigners from more than 55 other states, according to the foreign relations department of the Kurdish-led administration in northern Syria.

Reporting by Dominic Evans and Tuvan Gumrukcu in Istanbul and Tom Perry in Beirut; Editing by William Maclean

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syri ... F?rpc=401&

[Anthea]

Romney calls Trump's Syria
decision a 'betrayal' of Kurds

"The President’s decision to abandon our Kurd allies in the face of an assault by Turkey is a betrayal. It says that America is an unreliable ally; it facilitates ISIS resurgence; and it presages another humanitarian disaster," Romney tweeted.

The President’s decision to abandon our Kurd allies in the face of an assault by Turkey is a betrayal. It says that America is an unreliable ally; it facilitates ISIS resurgence; and it presages another humanitarian disaster. https://t.co/Tu8ARa8Pmp
— Senator Mitt Romney (@SenatorRomney) October 7, 2019

The White House announced late Sunday that Ankara was moving forward with a long-threatened offensive in northeastern Syria and that U.S. troops would not be in the “immediate area” when it happens.

Trump doubled down on the decision on Monday, tweeting that it was time to pull the United States out of "ridiculous Endless War."

"WE WILL FIGHT WHERE IT IS TO OUR BENEFIT, AND ONLY FIGHT TO WIN,” the president added.

Around 1,000 U.S. troops have been deployed in northeastern Syria, where they work closely with the Kurdish YPG, which leads the Syrian Democratic Forces in the region.

Trump's move was quickly panned by several GOP lawmakers, including Sens. Lindsey GrahamLindsey Olin GrahamGraham vows to publicly question whistleblowers if Trump is impeached Key Republicans split with Trump on Biden investigation push GOP searches for impeachment boogeyman MORE (R-S.C) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who serve with Romney on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Republicans say the decision will bolster the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), and put the lives of Kurdish allies in the region at risk.

Romney's public pushback comes after Trump spent the weekend lashing out at the GOP senator, including calling him a "pompous ass" and suggesting he should be impeached.

"I’m hearing that the Great People of Utah are considering their vote for their Pompous Senator, Mitt Romney, to be a big mistake. I agree! He is a fool who is playing right into the hands of the Do Nothing Democrats! #IMPEACHMITTROMNEY," Trump tweeted.

Romney is part of a small group of GOP senators who have publicly pushed back against Trump for saying late last week that China and Ukraine should investigate former Vice President Joe BidenJoe BidenTrump associates pressured Ukraine over gas firm in order to benefit allies: report Trump praises Woodward, slams other journalists over 'Face the Nation' segment Why Elizabeth Warren will fail to shine in her moment on the trail MORE and his son, Hunter Biden.

"When the only American citizen President Trump singles out for China’s investigation is his political opponent in the midst of the Democratic nomination process, it strains credulity to suggest that it is anything other than politically motivated," Romney said in a statement on Friday.

Romney also voiced concerns late last month about the phone call where Trump asked the Ukrainian government to help his personal attorney, Rudy GiulianiRudy GiulianiTrump associates pressured Ukraine over gas firm in order to benefit allies: report House GOP Intel member: 'Why should I care about' another Trump whistleblower Trump's tirades, taunts and threats are damaging our democracy MORE, look into the issue. There's been no evidence of wrongdoing by Biden.

"I did read the transcript. It remains troubling in the extreme. It's deeply troubling," Romney told reporters last week. "Clearly what we've seen from the transcript itself is deeply troubling."

https://thehill.com/homenews/administra ... l-of-kurds

[Anthea]

Foolish beyond belief:

In Syria Trump just betrayed our allies and helped our enemies

President Trump claims he is putting America first, but by sacrificing our Kurdish allies at Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's altar, he has dishonored America's word and degraded American alliances.

The Kurds will bleed

And American allies, foes, and in-betweeners will take note that this president cannot be trusted.

Let's not dance around the edges here. The facts are clear. The United States military presence in northern Syria, that which Trump is now ending, is not the war-fighting presence that Trump suggests. It is a peacekeeping presence designed to constrain the Islamic State's rebirth, to deter Turkey's slaughter of the Kurds and Bashar Assad's slaughter of the Sunni Arab tribes. Trump says this withdrawal will allow the Kurds and Turkey to "figure the situation out."

What an idiotic comment. The only thing that will be figured out is Erdoğan's sated bloodlust for Kurdish bodies. I do not exaggerate here. The Turkish military and Erdoğan's Islamic-nationalist base despise the Kurds. They will make few distinctions between the PKK terrorist group (an issue the Turks have a legitimate gripe about) and other sub-militias that have avoided terrorism against Turkey. They will make few distinctions between civilians and fighters. They will have fun. Erdoğan's bloodlust will only be strengthened by his domestic interest in throwing literal bones to the Turkish far-right.

This is a disgrace made worse for the fact that the U.S. clearly owes the Kurds our loyalty.

We relied upon the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and other Kurdish militias in order to substantially degrade ISIS. Yes, Western special operations played a crucial role in this effort. But the Kurds took the brunt of the casualties. And the Kurds kept fighting alongside us even after their northern heartlands had been retaken. Their tenacious courage saved American lives by denying ISIS the space and time to plot attacks against Western homelands. Plots that remain real.

Yet even if you're okay with innocent Kurds dying in a Game of Thrones style massacre, and with America's word abandoned, the broader ramifications on this decision should give you pause.

For one, it will have Russian President Vladimir Putin crowing. Putin's ultimate strategy in Syria has been to save Assad in order to present Russia as the primary regional interlocutor. That strategy's keystone rests in persuading states such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia that only he, Putin, can be trusted. I wonder if Trump will be upset when the Saudis and Egyptians start buying Russian military equipment instead of American?

Trump doesn't care. He could have consolidated Turkey towards a joint cease-fire zone that protected the Kurds, Turkey's security, and refugee needs. Doing so, he could have brought NATO member Turkey back into America's orbit. But Trump is bored and wants a campaign headline. If it's forged with the bodies of American allies, so be it.

But don't tell me this is America First.

If it is, America stands for betrayal and stupidity.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opin ... ur-enemies

[Anthea]

Trump's Syria decision will be
responsible for ISIS mark 2

Late Sunday night, the White House announced it would greenlight a Turkish incursion into northern Syria. “Turkey will be moving forward with its long-planned operation into Northern Syria. The United States Armed Forces will not support or be involved in the operation. …

Turkey will now be responsible for all ISIS fighters in the area,” the press secretary stated after President Trump spoke by phone with Turkish President Recep Erdoğan

Trump may believe that supporting the stable, self-governing entity which Syrian Kurds, Christians, Yezidis, and Arabs have created in northeastern Syria is not a U.S. interest. Frankly, realists may agree that morality has no place in foreign policy. They are wrong on both counts.

What happens in Syria does not stay in Syria. If the past is precedent, the United States may find itself in unexpected conflict and may need to partner with indigenous forces. Any would be right to conclude that partnership with the U.S. is fleeting and perhaps even suicidal. Russia, in contrast, stands by allies even when they utilize chemical weapons.

More broadly, blessing and enabling a Turkish operation into northern Iraq is to allow the resurrection of the Islamic State. Turkish leaders say the Syrian Defense Forces and various Kurdish militias are terrorist groups linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party.

Having visited northeastern Syria twice over the past five years, Turkish claims fall flat. The Kurdish administration is invested in governing; its security forces focus on providing security against al Qaeda and the remnants of the Islamic State.

Nor are Turkey’s description of the Kurds accurate. While it is true that the Kurdistan Workers Party was originally Marxist and anti-Western, it has evolved over the last 35 years. The Kurdistan Workers Party did fight an insurgency inside Turkey, but that insurgency had two sides. Turkey’s racism and penchant for ethnic cleansing instigated backlash. The original Kurdistan Workers Party designation has more to do with the Clinton administration wishing to grease a weapons sale package to Turkey than objective assessment.

While Erdoğan and Turkish diplomats may complain that the U.S. should not partner with Syrian Kurds regardless, it is important to remember that U.S. partnership occurred only after failing for three years to get Turkey to stop supporting radical and extremist groups in Syria. At the pivotal battle for Kobane, Kurdish fighters held out for weeks against an Islamic State onslaught only to emerge victorious. That in itself was a miracle which Turkey sought to undermine, even allowing Islamic State fighters to cross its border in order to attempt to outflank Kurds fighting the Islamist radicals.

Erdoğan’s collusion with the Islamic State goes much deeper. About 90% of foreign fighters entering Iraq and Syria to fight with al Qaeda or the Islamic State traversed the Turkish border, often with the facilitation of Turkish security forces. So too did weaponry. While the Washington Post appears intent to whitewash Erdoğan’s crimes against journalists, many of those in prison or exile are there for exposing collusion between Turkey and the Islamic State.

Putting Erdoğan in charge of containing the Islamic State is akin to trusting Iran to protect international shipping lanes. Trump’s decision both to withdraw U.S. forces and greenlight a Turkish incursion not only promises a revival of the Islamic State and renewed conflict in one of the only peaceful parts of Syria, but it likely also foreshadows terrorism and civil war inside Turkey. The Kurds have nowhere to go: northeastern Syria was their safe-haven. Erdoğan also does not understand history: Every country (Saudi Arabia, in Pakistan, in Libya, in Syria, and perhaps even the U.S.) who believed they could use radical Islamism as a tool ended up suffering blowback. Turkey will not be the exception.

Trump considered dining with the Taliban on the week of Sept. 11 this year, but wisely canceled his summit. What he is doing in Syria is even worse, however, because he is ensuring the Islamists have a safe haven unlike any enjoyed by radical Islamists since the Clinton administration trusted Taliban promises to curtail promises two decades ago.

Domestically, Trump’s legacy may be impeachment. Internationally, his Sunday night decision guarantees an Islamic State mark 2 and future attacks on Americans, American interests, and the homeland

Michael Rubin (@Mrubin1971) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner's Beltway Confidential blog. He is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and a former Pentagon official.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opin ... r-isis-2-0

[Anthea]

Trump’s support for Erdogan’s plans in Syria has green-lit a Turkish genocide of the Kurds

When the Turks are “just passing through” a territory, sometimes they stay 500 years. Just ask the Bulgarians, who spent 500 years under violent Ottoman rule. And let’s not forget the Turkish genocide against the Armenians in the First World War that the Turkish state continues to vehemently deny to this day

That’s why when I heard the news that US president Donald Trump had let Turkey’s Erdogan enter the Kurdish parts of northern Syria, I was deeply concerned. This is genuinely bad news.

The decision is an American betrayal of the Kurds who carried the battle against Islamic State on their shoulders. As close American allies (until recently) in the fight against this tumor, the Kurds don’t deserve this, particularly after the Kurds dismantled their defenses on the border with Turkey to redirect all forces to the battle with IS fighters under the promise that the Kurds would be protected by the US against possible Turkish attacks. That's why the decision leaves Kurdish commanders absolutely puzzled at the moment.

By all means, what Erdogan has planned will not be a peaceful resettlement of Syrians “going back home.” Under the pretext of resettling refugees back in Syria – but note, in the northern Kurdish territories – Erdogan’s forces are expected to wipe out chunks of the Kurdish population, fighters and civilians alike.

Erdogan has waved his finger at Kurdish fighters in Syria, more than once, calling them terrorists. Trump’s decision to give Erdogan the green light to act is in a stark contrast with his previous promises and statements that the US will protect the Kurds. As recently as January this year, Trump promised to destroy Turkey’s economy if they attacked the Kurds.

What has caused this 180-degree U-turn - and if this abrupt decision is related to Trump’s impeachment inquiry - is anybody’s guess at this point. A US withdrawal has certainly been in the cards but has so far been resisted up - until now. So, the question remains about what Turkey offered Trump at this point, in the middle of heated impeachment calls.

The US is sending allies across the Middle East – and elsewhere in the world – the wrong message, and it is clear to all “we will use you until you’ve done your part and then we will throw you at the wolves.” This harms American credibility in the Middle East and its global leadership at large.

Another message being read from this decision is that US foreign policy can change overnight, on a whim

It is my prediction that we are witnessing the beginning of a Turkish genocide on the Kurds. Trump will be, in part, to blame. That’s just not how you do foreign policy.

Iveta Cherneva is a security and human rights author who previously served at the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and worked for the US congress.

https://www.euronews.com/2019/10/07/tru ... ws+-+en%29