Trump and the Kurds: When a two-timer deceives another, leaving the path open for blatant violation of Syria's sovereignty yet again
Turkey's invasion of north-east Syria began late night on October 9, 2019 claiming to confront "Kurdish fighters." Simultaneously, as guilt demands, also began the massive clampdown by Ankara on critics in the social media denouncing Turkey's military operation inside northern Syria. The police bureau of Turkey has dubbed social media critics as "criminals in the virtual world .. engaged in dark propaganda."
If such an aggression is the Pasha's scheme to rekindle a past romance (with ISIS), a flame he was forced to extinguish after the departure of Obama, he couldn't have conceived of a worse idea! The Turkish leader's shaky excuse for the military operation is to establish a "safe zone" in the region to keep Kurdish fighters away and smoothen the path for the return of Syrian refugees. To the contrary, the latest incursion risks the flow of another wave of displaced Syrians into Turkey as well as the EU. European Union has announced it won't offer any financial assistance to Ankara for setting up a 'safe zone.' Ankara has already received $6.5 billion from EU to cope with over 4 million displaced Syrians. That figure is sure to rise after Turkey's pointless aggression and Erdogan will have to paddle his own canoe with no additional financial help from EU nor the US.
Tayyip Erodgan views the Kurds as terrorists, not Al-Qaeda. When a spokesperson of the Turkish government stated that 'Operation Peace Spring' was intended to“liberate the local population from the yoke of the armed thugs,” that did not include pockets of Al Qaeda still active in north-east Syria as well as in next door Raqqa Province. Though the Kurds have been full of deceit toward the Syrian government, a much greater threat for the Syrian Arab civilians comes from those hundred and something Al-Qaeda factions that have systematically destroyed Syria's infrastructure and population since 2012. Unarguably the Kurds were putting up a fight against IS and similar smaller AQ groups but have been forced to suspend their operations to save themselves from Turkish bombs. How could this not be a dream-come-true for the international terrorist network of Al-Qaeda and its tiny local ally, the so-called "Free Syrian Army"?
As soon as America's mentally unstable white supremacist President pushed aside the Kurds from the teats of his administration, Turkish ground forces wasted no time barging inside Syrian-Kurdish territory. The ground attack, in which the so-called Free Syrian Army (aka "Syrian rebels") is assisting Turkish forces, was preceded by the bombing of northeast Syria by Turkish jets, going as far as 50 kilometers inside Syrian territory and causing fatal injuries to at least eight. The town of Tal Abyad took the brunt of the poundings. As war restarts, long stretches along the Turkish-Syrian border are off-limits for civilians once again. Despite the huge possibility of turning the region into a hotbed of various Al-Qaeda factions viz. ISIS (all of whom have had close ties with "Syrian rebels" as well as Turkish troops), the confused idiot twiddling his thumb inside the Oval Office decided to pave the path for aggression and assault which Tayyip Erdogan had been desperately awaiting for months if not years. Trump's half-hearted and lukewarm statement that 'Operation Peace Spring' was a "bad idea" was simply a nod to Erdogan to fulfill his desires.
US forces in northeast Syria were told to pull back. Though there was no justification for them to be there in the first place, they ended up being a barrier between Turkey and the Kurdish fighters. Their withdrawal has left the Kurds exposed, and at the mercy of Ankara.
After years of trickery and dissing Damascus, Syrian Kurdish officials now acknowledge reaching out to the Syrian government. Kurds are pretty desperate for a dialogue with Damascus. A day late and a dollar short? So it seems. According to several reports, the YPG weren't too good to the Syrian Arabs during those 'good ol' days while honeymooning with the Americans. Many Syrian Arabs were reportedly thrown out of Kurdish regions of Syria. It's a story of betrayals. The Kurds have quite a history of betraying Damascus and then the notoriously shifty Americans betrayed the Kurds. An ugly picture to say the least. Howbeit, even if the Syrian government forgives and forgets, it may not be enough for the Kurds. It would be difficult, if not impossible, for the Syrian Arab Army to reach the spot of the incursion and intervene to assist the Kurds.
Shortly before pulling out of northeastern Syria, US troops didn't forget to perform their usual 'ritual' they always do in situations like these. They took custody of few of the most deadly ISIS terrorists responsible for many killings and beheadings who were held by Syrian Kurds. They were sent by the Americans to undisclosed destinations (in other words, safer destinations), most likely outside Syria. US forces once again rescued their prized investments, silently as ever, so the world would never know. Who knows when America may need the services of these marauders again? Probably against Iran this time?
The Arab League muttered something about a "foreign ministers' meeting" to discuss the latest incursion in Syria. It goes without saying, whether or not such a meeting of the world's top nincompoops materializes or whatever they discuss, makes no difference as long as Washington puts up the green light for Ankara which it did. The scenario has also provided an opportunity for some theatrics. Though Egypt's Sisi has done damn-all in favor of defending Syria's sovereignty all these years, he was quick to raise his phony concern over Turkish aggression in northeastern Syria. He doesn't care a flake of dog shit for the destruction of Syrian sovereignty, but both he and Erdogan being at loggerheads, it feels nice to display some sympathy for Syria as part of Sisi's political screenplay.
Kurds make up less than 10% of Syria's population. Afrin, Kobane and Qamishli are the main Kurdish areas in Syria. But prior to the war starting 2011, there was quite a large Kurdish population in Damascus and Aleppo governorates as well.
Ankara's ambitions and expansionist policies in Syria have re-triggered the destabilization of an already war-torn country. After eight years of war and utter destruction under Erdogan's supervision, the last thing Syria needs is a resumption of that same maliciously ridiculous nonsense.
Kurdish Peoples Protection Army (YPG)
A mother with her child hastily flees for safer destination.