Illustrative image: AP Photo/
On February 19, the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) captured the villages of Ikidam, Shaltah, and Marsawiyah from the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) in the Syrian area of Afrin, according to Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency.
On the same day, the TAF’s general staff released a statement saying that the TAF and the FSA had ‘neutralized’ 1,641 ‘terrorists’ in the Afrin area since the start of Operation Olive Branch on January 20.
Meanwhile, the Syrian media reported that the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) is going to enter the Afrin area soon under a deal allegedly reached between Damascus and the YPG. If reports are confirmed, this move will dramatically increase tensions between Damascus and Ankara as well as limit the area of Turkish operations against YPG in northern Syria.
“Popular forces will arrive in Afrin in the next few hours to support the steadfastness of its people in confronting the aggression which Turkish regime forces have launched on the region,” state-run news agency SANA reported, citing its correspondent in the city of Aleppo.
It seemss like SDF and Assad are coming closer to an agreement though I am a bit more sceptic than earlier.
We will have to wait and see what happens this week. If only the TuAF will be pushed away from the Afrin sky, it would mean more protection for the civillians and likely also mean many more raids and counterattacks by the SDF.
Still, to early to tell though.
If the SAA gets the Kurds to disarm or have their military personnel pull back, then turkey would lose their excuse to be in the country.
Right , we still have to wait for the details . So far none and doubt SAA would be that stupid to intervene, risk their lives if the Kurds do not disarm or be normal syrians as before.
Once that is confirmed , Afrin is no Kurds controlled that would appease the Turks.
Have a look at the comment from RichardD above.
If only the Kurds had gone for a deal with Assad before the Turkish invasion, then none of this sorry mess would have happened. No civilians would have died, no lives at all would have been lost. But no. Were they in denial or something? Did they think that the Mighty USAF would come to their rescue? Did they think that Erdogan was just blowing smoke? Did they believe their own hype of being such special snowflakes that they could stand up to the Turks? Because, yeah, they’re making the Turks bleeds. But they are still losing ground every day and lets face it, the Turks have a bad habit of not leaving where they managed to get their foot in the door. Even with a deal with Assad it remains to be seen that there will be full return to the status quo ante bellum.
“If only the Kurds had gone for a deal with Assad before the Turkish invasion, then none of this sorry mess would have happened.”
They probably wanted to but convinced otherwise by the Americans.Syria has one problem. American presence..
I don’t think the US has much interest in Afrin. If offered no base against ISIS and it offers no base from which to harass Iranian supply lines to Hezbollah. Which now seems to be its only preoccupation in Syria. And I suspect that the main YPG leadership does not have much interest in Afrin either, otherwise they would not have gone out of their way to do everything in their power to piss of Assad and the Russians. Who were the ONLY ones who could have kept the Turks at bay.
I suspect it was and is the Afrin Kurds who are forming the main stumbling block. While to the Rojava Kurds Afrin is an indefensible outpost that they wouldn’t mind exchanging for something more useful, to the Afrin Kurds its their home. And to be pushed out by the Turks, or submit to full rule by Damascus was just a choice between a rock and a hard place that they weren’t willing to make. Until it was too late. Like now. And they better hurry up before their options get even worse.
Hard to counter attack if you have been disarmed and pledged alliance to the Syrian goverment, nothing less will change history here.
It looks like the Turks pressuring the Kurds may have worked:
– Popular forces to arrive in Afrin within hours to support locals against Turkish aggression –
https://sana.sy/en/?p=127839
The agreement may or may not increase tensions with Turkey dependant on the back door communications they have had together and of course if the Kurds are actually giving over their weapons (yes doubtful). What is your guess ?.
The Turks will keep up the pressure until they’re sure that the Syrian government has control of the situation. The SAA/NDF having minimal positions in Afrin, without having sufficient resources to restore government administration there. Probably isn’t going to do it for the Turks.
If the Syrian government is unable to restore government administration. The Turks are going to keep rolling and administer it themselves.
It won’t happen until the Kurds disarm and relinquishes control of Syria Proper to the SAA including border areas (Afrin area) I do not believe we will see this in the East Kurdish area immediately and Erdogan will cease actions in Afrin and turn to the East to the Iraqi border.
As a note the referenced article is by an anonymous reporter?
Assad is the and always has been the good guy.
missiles dropping on Turkish palace seems appropriate, half of turkey goes kurdish and 5 percent of Syrian Kurds remain Syrian and Israeli plus Americans find body bags for themselves.
Foreign Minister of Turkey: “if they are getting there to clean YPG, then there is no problem. But If they are entering Afrin to protect YPG, no one can stop us”
typical antisemitism
Jews are pushing for mixed-raced America. XD.
Hope it will happen very fast. So that USA collapsed.
It’s a myth that mix-race children are beautiful and genetically strong. It’s the opposite !! They are ugly and genetically weaker. Also, they are broken because they have no identity and no culture as a reference point.
Whatever you say adolf
Who said Adolf was wrong ? XD.
I rather prefer a 100% german race person than a mix-race person.
Just look at mix black and asian. The children are so ugly. They are asian with black skin. So ugly. And, they will have to live with that. Parents who do that are so selfish and don’t think about the child.
i bet trumpsters love you
I hate Trump the goy. Trump is an insecure man. That’s why he is making a very good goy. His wife is a gold digger that doesn’t even respect him and his daughter has converted to judaism. XD.
Jews hate white people. Why ? Because white people are too successful. White people always show jews that they are not the chosen people. What is israel without white people ???? Without american white people, no israel. That’s shows that if it must be a chosen people, it’s must be white people.
So, it’s good that american whites dissapear.
“Jews hate white people. Why ? Because white people are too successful.”
wow.. Are you that stupid? Jews control the banking system, the media , the pharmaceutical companies and more and you still think white people are too successful.
“What is israel without white people ???? Without american white people, no israel.”
The white people in American you think Israel cannot survive without are actually Jews…except the foot soldiers..the same can be said about white Americans .. Where would they be without black slaves?
You are one “Serious”ly deluded hillbilly
Whites create and jews take. As if without jews, whites will be completely lost. XD.
Whites do 95% of the jobs. Without white americans, jews are screwed.
Adolf Hitler would have been proud of you
why people can love netanyahu and don’t like Hitler ? Even if I don’t like Hitler because I don’t share his racial eugenics.
Open borders for israel
hows the wheather in tehran?
I believe Turkey made a deal with the US to carve up Syria; the US on the Eastern part, Turkey on the Western part. If Erdogan was so concerned about the YPG/PKK, why didn’t he send his military east of the Euphrates where the YPG/PKK were, instead of attacking Afrin forcing the YPG/PKK to send assistance? Why no noise and outrage from Erdogan about the Attack in Turkey from the YPG/PKK.?
Erdogan wants to go to Mandjib and even wanted to go to Raqqa. But, he was betrayed by USA which wanted to topple him. So, he anticipate it and made a fake coup to prevent a real one.
Don’t buy the fake coup stuff. Turkey has/had problems with the EU, US and acts independently even down to buying S-400s which the US is against.
I didn’t buy nothing. That was my theory since the first day. The west wants to get rid of Erdogan but doesn’t know how to do. Erdogan was only supposed to be used to start the war in Syria.
Now that I can buy. What I don’t buy is that Erdogan faked a coup.
That’s my opinion. I don’t want you to take it for granted. For me, USA has tried to topple Erdogan with help of UAE and Saudi Arabia like they did with Morsi in Egypt or with Qatar. USA wanted to replace turks by kurds.
“…replace turks by kurds.”
Could be…. more willing to do as they’re told.
Priority appears to be cutting off the Mediterranean Sea so that the area remains land locked with resupply from the Sea impossible. I do believe Erdogan will move “east of the Euphrates” and west of the border with Iraq.
I don’t see how this can be since part of Turkey sits between the Mediterranean Sea and Afrin
Are you saying that PKK has never attacked Turkey with the intention of winning territory? Do you not understand the land locked situation for survival of any separatist movement? Try to pay more attention to the statements coming out of the SDF for the past 12 months…….
Are you saying that the PKK has been successful at winning territory from Turkey? Do you not understand that the force being armed was east of the Euphrates? Do you not understand that Afrin is surrounded on the west by Turkey? Do you not understand that Turkey’s army is rated 2nd in the world and would never allow terrorists to take Turkish land, be it west of Afrin or north of Syria? Try to pay more attention to the strength of forces in the region, last I checked, the SDF doesn’t possess an air force or the 2nd largest military force after the US in the world. All terrorists talk sh*t and they’re learning about propaganda from the best, i.e. the US. Try paying more attention to the realities on the ground.
You need to refresh on official public statements coming out of the SDF for at least the past 12 months and the rallies of Kurds including Afrin in alliance with East Syrian factions sedition movement and claiming, defending and attacking against the SAA efforts in providing security along and East of the Euphrates and sovereign Syrian resources of water and oil/gas facilities.
“Do you not understand that Turkey’s army is rated 2nd in the world and would never allow terrorists to take Turkish land, be it west of Afrin or north of Syria?”
You seem to forget or don’t get the Kurds depend and count on the #1 rated military in the world and from whence their false courage comes and their mouth overloads their arse.
R u sure?
How big is chinese army?
Well in man power numbers there is no match but in military hardware playing catch up.
You answer your own argument. The US isn’t going to fly overhead to support the Kurds and attack the Turks, therefor, it is merely the case of a terrorist group shooting off it’s mouth with dreams of grandeur it can never achieve. The US is willing, and has killed, Syrian troops in the east of Euphrates where it’s hoping to set up a mini state. There is zero chance they will support the SDF against the Turks in Afrin or to help the SDF take Turkish land west of Afrin. SDF forces will remain landlocked, the sooner they realize reality and turn in their weapons, the sooner they’ll be able resume a normal life.
I agree.
Like the Cicero quote, remember the first time I used it when reading Classics about 36 years ago. “Wish Ididn’t know now, what I didn’t know then”…..Tempus fugit..
Cicero’s quote brings to mind one from Huma Abedin Hillary’s personal assistant
“Their work in America, is a kind of grand jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within” . She was born in America but raised in Saudi Arabia , she was a Wahhabi Sunni virtually running the State Department sponsored by John Brennan the other convert to Wahhabi Islam .
Think you are overstating the case of Turkish Military might. However, even if we relegate Turkey to let’s say 10th strongest military power in the world. It would still be too overwhelmingly powerful for the Yankee proxies
Not military might, 2nd largest military force after the US in NATO. I should’ve been more explicit.
USA, Israel, Turkey vs Syria and Kurds…not good.
I do not understand. The syrians want to help the Kurds? United States wants to help the Kurds so United States can divide Syria for Israel. Why would the syrians want to help the Kurds that are going to be used to divide Syria??
If the Kurds were to surrender to the SAA, they could then become a part of the SAA, and be sent back into Adrin , but under SAA command , that would make sense .