A pro-Syrian government news outlet has reported that the Assad regime’s deputy foreign minister is calling on Arabs to unite with Kurds currently fighting Turkish-backed fighters in the country’s northeast.
“Afrin is an integral party of the Syrian Arab Republic,” Al-Masdar News (AMN) reported deputy minister Fayssal Mikdad as saying Wednesday, citing state media. AMN describes itself as an independent, pro-government news outlet, but has also been described as pro-Assad regime.
The quotes did not reference the Kurds, but the news report’s headline and lead said the official urged a unified front in cooperation with the Kurds to push back on Turkey’s Operation Olive Branch. The military incursion into Kurdish-held territory in northwestern Syria aims to create a buffer zone between Turkey and the Syria.
“We affirm that the Syrian Arab Army defends every inch of the Syrian territory and Syria will return as unified as it has been throughout history,” he added, with respect to Afrin.
AMN reported separately that Kurdish forces were pushed back on Wednesday in a furious offensive by Turkish-led forces that took seven settlements in 12 hours.
But the report adds that the Turkish forces will face an uphill battle:
By these latest gains, the Turkish Army and its Free Syrian Army partner forces are now beginning to move into the mountainous depth of Afrin. Here Kurdish fighters are expected to reinvigorate their defensive efforts and take full advantage of a terrain that highly favors the use of light infantry, hit-and-run attacks and ambushes.
The terrain, as US media reported over the weekend, gives the Kurds a tactical advantage on the ground just as Turkey is said to have lost its advantage in the air. Russia is reportedly restricting access to airspace above the conflict zone after initially looking the other way.
What actually is Turkish role in Syria? Am confused here, can someone try explain things to me?
They wanna kill the Kurds. Afraid that the Kurds will establish a state bordering Turkey. But it is stupid coz Turkey makes enemy of all its neighbors…add a
Kurdistan makes no different
James Ooi thank you so much.
The work of USA is evident,pretence and destruction.Evil country!
They want to ensure that kurds dont have a separate state as kurds have been with war with turkey and responsible for many bomb attacks in Turkey. A separate state or control area by kurds along the border of turkey will result in more attacks and insurgence in turkey.
YPG occupies about 25% of the Syrian territory, aiming to establish an autonomic Kurdish state. Turkey aims to prevent division of Syria into pieces as well as safeguard its territory from insurgents belonging to PKK.
Turkey is not doing any thing for syria, the one goal they have in syria is to prevent kurds from independence. Now Syria belives that an attack agaist kurds in syrian territory is an attack against syria.
I don’t think so as making the Kurds autonomous will end the attacks and probably heal the wounds of years of suppression. What Turkey needs is confident building mechanism anchored on strong political will to accept the fact that Kurdistan wiI’ll one day be a realty. War is not the solution as it has never solved a problem but rather exacerbated it.
True
But sad to say..Turkey is a NATO member and so the U.S..
James Ooi the Kurds are launching series of attacks on Turkey from Syria. At the moment Americans are arming the Kurds to the teeth hence making is easy for them to attack Turkey.
John Valiente The American shouldn’t hv armed the Kurds. They can fight the ISIS better but by arming them (the Kurds) will also make Turkey their target.
Spot on bro