Syrian regime soldiers began moving north last night to confront the Turkish forces that have invaded northern Syria, adding to growing chaos in the area that analysts fear could spiral into a far wider confrontation.
The US announced it was starting to withdraw its remaining 1,000 troops from the country; an unexpected retreat, and an example British and other western powers are likely to follow.
The decision followed the realisation in Washington that Turkey is intending to go farther in its drive to oust the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces than had been expected. Turkish forces were last night moving well beyond the border towns of Ras al-Ain and Tal Abyad, their initial targets.
The defenders, the YPG Kurdish militia that is the vanguard of the multi-ethnic SDF, have responded by striking a deal — with the help of Russia — for Syrian forces loyal to President Assad to join them. The regime forces are expected to move into the towns of Manbij and Kobani.
The Kurds described the deal with the Syrian government as a necessary step to stop the assault. “In order to prevent and confront this aggression, an agreement has been reached with the Syrian government . . . so the Syrian army can deploy along the Syrian-Turkish border to assist the Syrian Democratic Forces,” the Kurdish administration said in a statement.
In an editorial published in Foreign Policy magazine, SDF chief Mazlum Abdi wrote: “If we have to choose between compromises and the genocide of our people, we will surely choose life for our people.”
Mark Esper, the US defence secretary, told CBS a broadening of the offensive had made the situation “untenable” for US forces and that after a conversation with President Trump, a “deliberate withdrawal” would begin.
There were reports yesterday that the withdrawal of American troops had already begun. Mr Trump faced a growing backlash at home for effectively stepping aside to allow Turkey to attack the Kurdish forces which have been the West’s most reliable ally in the fight against Islamic State in the area.
Adam Kinzinger, a Republican congressman, said the decision had increased the risk of a resurgence of Isis. “We have left them [the Kurds] to the wolves,” he said.
Adding fuel to the fire, the SDF said yesterday hundreds of foreigners with links to Isis, mostly women and children, had escaped from the Ain Issa displacement camp after its Kurdish guards came under attack from Turkish forces. One monitoring group put the number who fled at 100, but Kurdish authorities said that almost 800 relatives of foreign Isis members had escaped.
Separately, video published online appeared to show Syrian rebel fighters who are aligned with the Turkish invaders executing civilians on the side of the M4 highway.
Among the dead was Hervin Khalaf, a female Kurdish politician who was dragged from her car and shot. A shaky video showed the group shooting another captive, his hands bound, by the roadside.
Turkey launched the operation in Syria, dubbed Peace Spring, on Wednesday after Mr Trump unexpectedly agreed that American troops in northern Syria would pull back from some parts of the border.
The YPG is the Syrian arm of the PKK, the guerrilla force that has been waging a four-decade war for autonomy against the Turkish state. It joined forces with pro-western Arab groups to form the SDF to fight Isis, after the jihadist group swarmed across Kurdish territory in 2014, but the alliance was uncomfortable for the US, Britain and other countries in Nato, of which Turkey is a member. However, it was successful in seizing eastern Syria from Isis — at a cost of 11,000 SDF lives.
President Erdogan had said for more than a year that he intended to seize a 20-mile border strip as a “safe zone”, which would also allow him to resettle two million Syrian refugees.
Turkish troops and their Syrian rebel allies first targeted the border towns of Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ain. Since then about 104 SDF fighters, 76 Turkey-backed rebels and 52 civilians have been killed, according to monitors, with another 18 civilians killed in Turkey, according to local media. Shelling around the two towns continued yesterday amid conflicting reports over the control of Ras al-Ain. Turkey’s defence ministry said it was under their control, but the SDF disputed that. Isis seems to be taking advantage of the chaos, launching car-bomb attacks in both Hasakah and Qamishli. The group also declared the start of a new campaign in Syria, described as vengeance for the SDF’s detention of its members.
Five suspected Isis fighters broke out of a jail in Qamishli on Saturday when the area was hit by Turkish forces.
Ain Issa camp, about 20 miles south of the Turkish border, houses about 12,000 displaced people. Among their number were 249 foreign women and 700 children with links to Isis. They had previously included a number of British orphans, as well as the British nationals Tooba Gondal, Zahra Iqbal and Lisa Smith. Their whereabouts at the time of the escape was unknown.
The Turkish invasion has been met by near-universal international condemnation, with countries including France, Germany and Sweden announcing suspensions or bans in weapons exports to Turkey. Boris Johnson expressed “grave concern” about the situation in a call with Mr Erdogan.
Mr Trump sought to defend his decision yesterday, tweeting: “The Kurds and Turkey have been fighting for many years. Turkey considers the PKK the worst terrorists of all. Others may want to come in and fight for one side or the other. Let them! Endless Wars!”
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/world/assad-sends-troops-to-confront-turkish-forces-b89dw5prx
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