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The United States believes that Turkey and its proxies in Syria are preparing for a large-scale ground operation in territory controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the Wall Street Journal reported on December 17, citing American officials.
The unnamed officials noted a significant Turkish military buildup near Kobani, Kurdish majority town and a stronghold of the SDF in the eastern Aleppo countryside.
The buildup resembled Turkish movements seen ahead of its 2019 invasion of northeast Syria, according to the officials. One of them told the WSJ that “a cross-border operation could be imminent.
The officials also emphasized that a new Turkish ground operation would deepen instability in the region and undermine efforts to maintain security against ISIS remnants.
WSJ report detailed the deployment of Turkish uniformed commandos, artillery units, and allied militias to strategic positions along the border.
As the Assad regime was collapsing, Turkey and its proxies in Syria launched a series of attacks against the SDF. The group was expelled from a large pocket in the northern Aleppo countryside centered around the town of Tell Rifaat. The key town of Manbij in the eastern Aleppo countryside also fell into the hands of Turkish forces, bringing them to the front with Kobani.
In response to the escalating situation, Ilham Ahmed, a senior official in the SDF’s civilian administration in Syria, penned a letter to President-elect Donald Trump, urging him to pressure Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to abandon the planned operation.
Ahmed’s letter, obtained by the WSJ, stated that Turkey aimed to seize control of Kurdish territory before Trump’s inauguration, thereby forcing the new administration to recognize Ankara’s authority in the region.
“If Turkey proceeds with its invasion, the consequences will be catastrophic,” Ahmed’s letter was cited as saying, noting that such an operation could displace more than 200,000 Kurdish civilians and threaten Christian communities in the area.
The U.S. has already made efforts to to prevent Turkey from attacking Kobani, temporarily deploying troops near the town and brokering a ceasefire in recent days. However, the Turkish military does not appear to be respecting the truce.
On December 18, the media center of the SDF reported multiple violations by the Turkish military and its proxies near Kobani.
“Despite the de-escalation efforts by the U.S., the Turkish occupation and its mercenaries continued their attacks yesterday and today on several areas around Kobani, Tishrin Dam, and Ain Issa.
Yesterday evening at 6:00 PM, Turkish mercenaries attacked the Tishrin Dam area from three axes, supported by drone cover from the occupation forces. The Manbij Military Council fighters confronted them, killing and wounding several of their fighters, forcing them to flee. The occupation’s drones targeted the area eight times.
In the Qereqozaqê Bridge area and the village of Bir Hiso south of Kobani, Turkish occupation drones carried out three airstrikes at 11:00 PM. Additionally, the Turkish occupation intensified its shelling of the area with dozens of rocket and artillery strikes.
In Ain Issa, Turkish drones targeted a car in the village of Hoshna yesterday evening and shelled the eastern villages of Ain Issa and the western areas of Tal Abyad with dozens of mortars and artillery shells.
This morning, mercenary groups, with Turkish air and ground support, launched a comprehensive attack from several axes on the Tishrin Dam area. Intense clashes are ongoing between the Manbij Military Council forces and the mercenaries, with heavy drone activity from the occupation forces,” the group said in a statement.
“In response to this, and due to the Turkish occupation and its mercenaries’ failure to adhere to the ceasefire, as well as the heavy shelling from drones and artillery, our forces shot down a Turkish “Bayraktar TB2” drone yesterday evening near the Qereqozaqê Bridge.
Our forces are now taking defensive positions to resist the attacks and defend all areas of North and East Syria, especially Kobani.
The Turkish occupation and its mercenaries are trying to exploit the ceasefire to continue their attacks and colonial plans, deceiving public opinion. It is no longer hidden that they are arrogantly seeking to occupy the region and displace its people,” it added.
Cornered by Turkey after the fall of the Assad regime -which guaranteed the safety of Kobani and other areas in northeastern Syria with help from Russia for years-, the SDF appears to be willing to receive help from any side.
Some in Israel are already calling to support Kurdish focus in Syria. Yair Golan, leader of the Democrats – a merger of Meretz and the Labor Party – said on December 18 that Syria ran the risk of Turkey and Sunni Islamists replacing Iran and Shia Islamists as a threat to Israel.
“Israel must be concerned about one basic thing: a Turkish attack against the Kurds in Syria,” he wrote on the X social site.
“Israel must take the initiative and take advantage of overt and covert channels to support the Kurds. A strong Kurdish territory is security for Israel,” he added.
It is still unclear if the SDF is willing to receive support from Israel, or what shape such a support would take considering all the geographic, military and political limitations playing in favor of Turkey, a close ally of the U.S. and a key member of NATO.
Turkey has already condemned Israel’s invasion into southern Syria and its strikes against the country’s military assets which began after the fall of the Assad regime. However, the two sides will not likely clash at any point. In fact, some observers in the Middle East believe that the two have been coordinating to split the war-torn country between them.
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israele ai turchia gli farà mangiare gli scarponi a spezzatino. saluti
the usa in the eyes of turkey is just an extension of the british serpents who screwed the ottomans with the sykes picot. the kurds messed up again by going against assad, they should have worked with him. at least under assad, the kurds would retain some autonomy. the only positive thing we can hope is for turkey to seize the oil fields in al omar and conoco away from the americans and kurds and use the proceeds for syrian recovery
syria needs to prosper under turkish influence. economic development, reconstruction. build up its military and invest in air force and anti air defense. the jewish cancer likes to pummel defenseless people with no air force. syria can be a testing ground for turkish planes and air defense and give pain to the jewish land grabbers. maybe one day the russians will be back. if turkey wants to be leader of the sunnis, it better be prepared to smash israel’s nose
turds almost as sleazy as amerikunts
and kick out the russians left
turkish strikes seem more accurate and direct and rapid and the booms are bigger than the russian ones. also turk drone monitoring seems more stable than russian cameras.
good, you don’t want the jews succeed in their landgrabbing towards the greater israel wet dream. if erdogan follow through there will be two larger entities, turkey and iran, to stop any greater israel plan. otherwise erdogan is dreaming of rebuilding the ottoman empire that the faggots in white hall so rudely finished!