ANKARA: Turkey has again boosted its military presence along its southern border to prevent hostile incursions by Kurdish fighters from the People’s Protection Units (YPG) in northern Syria.
Ten trucks carrying tanks and howitzer artillery pieces moved into position on Saturday in Kilis province, immediately across the border from the Kurdish-controlled Afrin region of Syria.
The YPG are US allies in the fight against Daesh in Syria, but Ankara views the group as terrorists, and an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has conducted an armed insurgency in Turkey for more than 30 years.
YPG militias have de facto autonomy in parts of northern Syria bordering Turkey, and there was an exchange of fire with Turkish artillery in Afrin in June.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Turkey will not allow “terror groups” to create a corridor in northern Syria. The Turkish military’s Operation Euphrates Shield from August 2016 until March this year targeted Daesh, but also aimed to prevent the YPG from forming such a corridor by linking areas such as Aziz and Manjib.
Turkey views the establishment of a Kurdish entity in northern Syria as a threat to its integrity and national security, said Kadir Ertac Celik, an adviser at the Ankara Center for Crisis and Policy Studies (ANKASAM).
“In this context, Turkey places the protection of the regional status quo and stability at the top of its foreign policy agenda. And if needed, Turkey can launch a military intervention into Afrin region,” he said.
The current rapprochement between Russia and Iran strengthened Turkey’s hand, Celik said.
Ankara has begun identifying its security line beyond its national borders, and it has the ability and determination to intervene against any national threat on legitimate grounds, Celik said.
“This border reinforcement move is a clear message and a precaution vis-a-vis the unfolding geopolitics in northern Syria.”
Turkey has openly expressed its willingness to intervene in the PKK/YPG presence in northern Syria for some time, as manifested by a series of discussions in recent weeks, said Merve Seren, a researcher on security studies at the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA), a think tank in Ankara.
“The visits to Ankara by the Iranian chief of staff, Gen. Mohammad Baqeri, and Jim Mattis, US defense secretary, have been considered as showing support by these countries to Turkey’s counterterrorism efforts against PKK and its offshoots,” he said.
Turkey could launch a partial military intervention into the Tal Rifaat area of northern Aleppo and then into Afrin, Seren said.
Turkey sends tanks to confront Kurds on Syrian border
Turkey sends tanks to confront Kurds on Syrian border
Hamas says ‘new’ Israeli conditions delaying agreement on Gaza ceasefire
“The ceasefire and prisoner exchange negotiations are continuing in Doha under the mediation of Qatar and Egypt in a serious manner... but the occupation has set new conditions concerning withdrawal (of troops), the ceasefire, prisoners, and the return of displaced people, which has delayed reaching an agreement,” the Palestinian militant group said in a statement.
Syria authorities say 1 million captagon pills torched
- Forces pour fuel over and set fire to a cache of cannabis, the painkiller tramadol and around 50 bags of pink captagon pills in the capital’s security compound.
DAMASCUS: Syria’s new authorities torched a large stockpile of drugs on Wednesday, two security officials told AFP, including one million pills of the amphetamine-like stimulant captagon, whose industrial-scale production flourished under ousted president Bashar Assad.
“We found a large quantity of captagon, around one million pills,” said a member of the security forces, who asked to be identified only by his first name, Osama. An AFP journalist saw forces pour fuel over and set fire to a cache of cannabis, the painkiller tramadol and around 50 bags of pink captagon pills in the capital’s security compound.
UK to host Israel-Palestine peace summit
- PM Starmer drawing on experience working on Northern Ireland peace process
- G7 fund to unlock financing for reconciliation projects
LONDON: The UK will host an international summit early next year aimed at bringing long-term peace to Israel and Palestine, The Independent reported.
The event will launch the International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace, which is backed by the Alliance for Middle East Peace, containing more than 160 organizations engaged in peacebuilding between Israelis and Palestinians.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, a former human rights lawyer who worked on the Northern Ireland peace process, ordered Foreign Secretary David Lammy to begin work on hosting the summit.
The fund being unlocked alongside the summit pools money from G7 countries to build “an environment conducive to peacemaking.” The US opened the fund with a $250 million donation in 2020.
As part of peacebuilding efforts, the fund supports projects “to help build the foundation for peaceful co-existence between Israelis and Palestinians and for a sustainable two-state solution.”
It also supports reconciliation between Arab and Jewish citizens of Israel, as well as the development of the Palestinian private sector in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Young Israelis and Palestinians will meet and work together during internships in G7 countries as part of the scheme.
Former Labour Shadow Middle East Minister Wayne David and ex-Conservative Middle East Minister Alistair Burt said the fund is vital in bringing an end to the conflict.
In a joint piece for The Independent, they said: “The prime minister’s pledge reflects growing global momentum to support peacebuilding efforts from the ground up, ensuring that the voices of those who have long worked for equality, security and dignity for all are not only heard, but are actively shaping the societal and political conditions that real conflict resolution will require.
“Starmer’s announcement that the foreign secretary will host an inaugural meeting in London to support peacebuilders is a vital first step … This meeting will help to solidify the UK’s role as a leader in shaping the future of the region.”
The fund is modeled on the International Fund for Ireland, which spurred peacebuilding efforts in the lead-up to the 1999 Good Friday Agreement. Starmer is drawing inspiration from his work in Northern Ireland to shape the scheme.
He served as human rights adviser to the Northern Ireland Policing Board from 2003-2007, monitoring the service’s compliance with human rights law introduced through the Good Friday Agreement.
David and Burt said the UK is “a natural convener” for the new scheme, adding: “That role is needed now more than ever.”
They said: “The British government is in a good position to do this for three reasons: Firstly, the very public reaching out to diplomatic partners, and joint ministerial visits, emphasises the government turning a page on its key relationships.
“Secondly, Britain retains a significant influence in the Middle East, often bridging across those who may have differences with each other. And, thirdly, there is the experience of Northern Ireland.
“Because of his personal and professional engagement with Northern Ireland, Keir Starmer is fully aware of the important role civil society has played in helping to lay the foundations for peace.”
Erdogan announces plans to open Turkish consulate in Aleppo
- Erdogan also issued a stern warning to Kurdish militants in Syria
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Wednesday that Turkiye will soon open a consulate in Syria's Aleppo.
Erdogan also issued a stern warning to Kurdish militants in Syria, stating they must either "lay down their weapons or be buried in Syrian lands with their weapons."
The remarks underscore Turkiye's firm stance on combating Kurdish groups it views as a threat to its national security.
Turkish military kills 21 Kurdish militants in northern Syria and Iraq, ministry says
- Turkiye regards the YPG, the leading force within the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), as an extension of the PKK and similarly classifies it as a terrorist group
ANKARA: The Turkish military killed 21 Kurdish militants in northern Syria and Iraq, the defense ministry said on Wednesday.
In a statement, the ministry reported that 20 Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and Syrian Kurdish YPG militants, who were preparing to launch an attack, were killed in northern Syria, while one militant was killed in northern Iraq.
“Our operations will continue effectively and resolutely,” the ministry added.
The PKK, designated as a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the European Union, and the United States, began its armed insurgency against the Turkish state in 1984. The conflict has claimed more than 40,000 lives.
Turkiye regards the YPG, the leading force within the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), as an extension of the PKK and similarly classifies it as a terrorist group.
Following the fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad earlier this month, Ankara has repeatedly insisted that the YPG must disband, asserting that the group has no place in Syria’s future.
The operations on Wednesday come amid ongoing hostilities in northeastern Syria between Turkiye-backed Syrian factions and the YPG.
Ankara routinely conducts cross-border airstrikes and military operations targeting the PKK, which maintains bases in the mountainous regions of northern Iraq.
