Over the past days, Syria’s northeast has been the main point of instability in the war-torn country.
On November 10, the Turkish-backed coalition of militant groups, the Syrian National Army, announced that it was resuming it offensive in the area. The group justified this move by claiming that the Kurdish People Protection Units and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which are the core of the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces, violate the safe-zone agreement reached by Ankara and Moscow. According to the Turkish version of the events, Kurdish rebels did not fully with draw from the border area and continued attacks on positions of Turkish-led forces and civilians.
Since November 9, pro-Turkish militants, backed by the Turkish Army, have carried out offensive actions in northeastern al-Hassakah. Especially intense clashes took place near the villages of Umm Sha’Fah, Daldarh, Tell Ward and Arab Khan. Turkish artillery strikes hit several targets between the towns of Tell Tamr and Ras al-Ayn. At least 5 Syrian Army soldiers were killed and 26 others were injured in the clashes. The casualties of the SDF remain unclear. Nonetheless, Turkish-led forces were not able to make any gains.
On November 9, 2 civilians were killed and five others were injured in a strike by Turkish combat drone on the village of al-Hishah, southeast of Ain Issa. Separately, pro-Kurdish sources claimed that a Turkish airstrike hit an ambulance near Tell Tamr. Pro-Turkish sources denounce such reports as fake news or claim that Kurdish rebels use civilian clothes and use civilians as human shields.
At the same time, the situation inside the Turkish-occupied part of Syria also remains unstable. Late on November 9, a series of airstrikes targeted an alleged ISIS headquarters in the vicinity of Kafra in northern Aleppo. Kafra is located in only 10km east of the stronghold of Turkish-backed forces – Azaz.
On November 10, a large blast rocked the town of Suluk, northern Raqqa, which was occupied by Turkish forces last month. According to reports, an explosion of car bomb injured or killed at least 7 people.
The ‘withdrawing’ US forces are increasing their presence across eastern Syria. Videos appeared online show that the US military has recently reinforced its contingent with Bradley infantry fighting vehicles. Mainstream media speculate that Abrams battle tanks will be deployed to reinforce key oil-rich areas later.
Idlib militant groups violated the ceasefire regime in the Greater Idlib de-escalation zone about 600 times in October, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported. On November 7 and 8, Syrian and Russian warplanes were bombing positions of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and allied militant groups in northern Lattakia and southern Idlib. The strikes were aimed at deterring radicals that have been preparing for a new attack on Syrian Army south of the town of Kbani.
Sounds like another round of bringing Kurds back to their senses.
Yes, that’s exactly what is happening. “The operation to restore Kurdish common sense” is ongoing. But this will be a little difficult as long as their leaders who don’t have common sense still in charge, oh one more thing, “oil loving troops” are also still around, their promises to the Kurds will be very hypnotizing and the Kurds will lose their common sense again.
Process is developing. Lets see how it unfolds.
Those oil lovong troops aren’t Aerican army at all, they’re bunch of bandits and pirates, thieves who are cowards that want yo make money and nothing else. Since they’re not American army, but bunch of vagabonds from all around the World, they can be targeted without any problems whatsoever.
I posted this earlier for another SF article. I have done as you suggested and at thIs point this is what I see and if you have any thoughts…: —————————
This certainly seems confusing but it is a reflection of the fluidity of alliances and backroom dealing now that the unipolar world has broken down – Macron just conceded this when he said NATO is brain dead – I.e. the head is dead and the head of NATO is the US. So the Hegemon is dead and the US must adjust to sharing power in a new multi-polar world still in its infancy.
Things are accelerating as it becomes ever clearer which way the winds are blowing. The Players are playing chess but without dependable partners for the most part. This is now the phase where new alliances will rise from the ruins of the old alliances. Until the new alliances take shape, a free for all situation will be commonplace. Hezbollah and Iran have stepped back I think until the situation becomes clearer. Particularly how far will Putin go to bring Turkey into Russia’s orbit.
I have been critical of Russia on their methods to achieve aims but I understand the reasoning for the importance of pulling Turkey out of the clutches of the US. Russian bases in Syria are in a precarious position if there is a hostile Turkey with its considerable military only a stones throw away controlling the immensely important strategic Bosporus Straits.
Turkey is the Prize and this is understandable. The other players understand this as well. Just don’t burn every other bridge trying to build this one… after all, think about who it is that awaits you on the other side
Seem so.
http://bit.do/fgQMV
djhdsjkh djshjdhsk…
And naturally the SAA and Syrian civilians are the casualties as the Kurds and Turks duke it out.
If Kurds don’t listen…Give’m ears to hear….
America has abadoned them in favor of whatever. This rhetoric ‘America is with you’ has evaporate, since mercenary bandits take over oilfields. Now they know where they are.
Kurds could have known…it is not the first time that the Yangeese (synonym for Lies & Broken Treaties) betray the Kurds…I remember the First Gulf War…the Yangeese promised Airsupport to them Kurds to defeat Saddam Hussein…them Kurds went to War…ZIONATO-AirSupport stayed at the AirPort…
That’s probably what unfortunately is happening.
Eventually they will listen…even if that means you kick them to the negotiation table…Kurds are Traitors…
The scare-crows or scare-kurds are back on.
Actually that bomb that targeted Sna WASN’T placed by Isil, but by Syrians with Russian info.
There are a lot of reports from usually credible sources that the Kurds are violating the MOU. As long as the Iraqi Yinon plan flunkies are using Syria as a punching bag for the US to abuse. The US is going to stir up trouble by encouraging Zionist Kurd secession with money, weapons, air strikes and threats.
Are those Turkish sources? I feel NSA with Turk support are in violation of the agreement. If they stopped trying to advance north of Tal Tamr, the situation would die down. Why is it that when SAA units move to take over this front, they are attacked by Turks? Do you want the SDF to simply abandon the SAA forces there?
Is AMN a Turkish source? Tell Tamar is in the buffer zone. And so are the Kurds when they’re not supposed to be according to the MOU:
“Also assisting the Syrian Army in defense of Tal Tamr is the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF); they have played an important role in the front-line defense of Tal Tamr.”
– Turkish-backed forces launch big attack in attempt to capture key town in northeastern Syria –
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/turkish-backed-forces-launch-big-attack-in-attempt-to-capture-key-town-in-northeastern-syria/
“If the Kurds did not withdraw as per the deal, Peskov said Syrian border guards and Russian military police would have to withdraw, leaving the Kurds to deal with the Turkish army.”
– Russia urges Kurdish fighters to withdraw from Syria’s border –
There are lots of credible reports as well as video evidence, proving the Turkish backed forces the SNA, have committed more than a dozen war crimes using the Russian/Turkish MOU as an excuse, they’ve also been accused of ethnic cleansing, targeting civilian areas, and attacking the SAA without just provocation, all while operating under the banner of the MOU. For someone who continually harps on about Israeli injustices to the Palestinians [which is the one good thing you do], and the US’s meddling in other countries affairs, you seem to turn a blind eye to the injustices your own side perpetrates.
You’re a habitual liar making false accusations. I’ve criticized Turkish crimes many times.
What we saw in the Video was kurds throwing huge rocks at Russian and Turkish patrols. If they had done that in the apartheid state or any other state those kurds would have been shot. Be thankful the Russians were there and kept the Turks in line. It showed the world the kurds were mostly PKK terrorists or what ever Terrorists because civilians dont do such things.
The Kurds are being shot for throwing stones, the Turks opened fire on protesters and killed one woman and injured 8 other, that’s the latest news. The Turks are invaders and the Kurds are the local citizens, why shouldn’t they throw stones at the unwanted invaders, what would you do if the Turkish army suddenly invaded your own country? On a side note the Turks and their proxies have killed 30 SAA soldiers to date, were they all throwing stones at the Turks too.
the kurds are being shot at for teaming up with the unhinged states of A which is seriously treasonous and deserve annihilation (/although the world would not condone such act) since it also means teaming up with israel – however, rest assured that turkey and syria will deal with the kurds till the point that the american posturing over the oilwells appear as stupid as it actually is. no way the american cunts can set up a sovereign or semi-sovereign kurdish statelet in syria’s northeast.
After Trump’s withdrawal began and Erdogan’s most recent invasion started, the Kurds were well on their way to a reconciliation deal with Assad [for the second time], but after the Turkish invasion actually occurred they began trying to work a deal with both the US and Assad, do you even begin to wonder why? Obama created the statelet and Trump’s been trying to get out of it, now the Turks are threatening the Kurds militarily, do you think it’s going to make it easier for Trump to get out as he intended to, I don’t. Are there any Kurds in Latakia, Hama, or Idlib, there are in Aleppo and that gives Erdogan an excuse [according to people like you] to be there, but what about the other governorates, why are the Turks also there, well not in Hama anymore, not since the SAA kicked them out anyway. THE TURKS HAVE TO GET OUT OF ALL OF SYRIA, using the Kurds as an excuse to occupy this part of Syria just ignores the fact they occupy a fair chunk of the rest of the country too, with no Kurdish excuse either, so that means the terrorist scum that Erdogan supports in Idlib, will soon be able to move into this part of Syria, and that just means Assad will have to kick them out of this area as well.
rest assured, the turks will get out of syria and if not voluntarily then by threats from russia. turkey and erdogan won’t risk the russian business for some landgrab of doubtful value in syria. on the contrary, turkey will be highly motivated to get the kurdish issue out of the way and focus on some better prioritized issues. the us will find it hard to stay in syria and will have to give up a kurdish statelet for and on behalf of israel. and israel better prepare for the worse since they will be next on the agenda, it’s amazing how the russian intervention managed to turn the table the way it actually has and put israel firmly in the cross hairs of the now well trained and well armed neighbours.
Erdogan ignored all the Astana agreements he made with Putin, every single one of them, all except for the last one one that is, so 13 agreements in all with 12 of them being broken by the Turks, that’s not a good track record. And in the same way Putin’s pried Erdogan away from the US sphere of influence, the US will also try to lure him back again when he’s finally switched allegiances to Putin’s side. And whenever he has a dispute with Putin in the future, he’ll forever use the US and the threat of a return to its influence to manipulate Putin, until Putin and Russia are in the very same position with Turkey as the US is now. What you believe is going to happen is pure fantasy, Turkey under Erdogan is no one’s friend, only it’s own, the mess we’ve experienced thanks to the non adherence of the Astana agreements, will just be repeated on a grander scale now, but in the future it’ll be Russia being manipulated.
but your ranting and raving just tells me/us that you can’t see the woods for the trees – try some strategic thinking and avoid the immediate reflex-outbreak – extrapolate the events/trends since 2014 and see where they will take you in say 2 years time and you will see that syria and turkey have settled the kurdish issue in the ne, that the washington morons have ditched the kurds once again and that assad is in full control of syria. presently assad is more interested in getting idlib free of the various groups and then it’s the kurds although assad has started to move troops into the ne and so has russia. you gotta keep thinking clearly not just reflexively assume the worst.
Every intelligent person following the Syrian war knows what you believe is the complete opposite of reality. The Syrian civil war ended in June last year, and everything that’s happened since then is all due to Erdogan’s manipulation of Putin, and both parties have just perpetuated this war for their own ends.
Assad refused to implement the Russian/Turkish/Iranian resolution 2254 for 5 years but accepted the new UN proposed amendments the same day the UN made him a new offer, so after 5 years of refusing the Russians proposal it only took one day for Assad to accept the new UN offer, what does that mean, does it mean Assad was happy with the Russian offer, no it doesn’t, it means the UN made him and even better offer.
And from the very first Astana agreement to the 13th, which the SAA just ignored after about the 10th instalment, how have any of them helped Assad, the SAA or Syria, they haven’t, they’ve just helped the Turks and the terrorists.
And the new Memorandum of Understanding between the Turks and the Russians, which the kurds and SAA don’t abide by, how is that really helping the situation, if it really was helping Syria the SAA wouldn’t be fighting alongside the Kurds actually repelling the Turks and their proxies, they’d be doing what the MOU wanted them to do, but they’re not, they’re doing the exact opposite.
And their latest attempts to reinstate the old defunct Adana agreement which Assad also refused to accept, would’ve legitimizes the Turks presence in Syria, how would that have helped the Syrians. ………
You’re just another paid for Troll I have to get rid of, you spin everything to make it look like Russia’s still helping Syria, when in fact Russia’s only helping itself now, sadly at the expense of Syria.
gott im himmel, are you in any way capable of having one coherent thought on these matters – sure as a klucking bell doesn’t look to be the case.
I’m impressed, you speak German, English and Russian.
If the SDF is breaking the conditions of the ceasefire why are the Turks targeting the SAA near Tal Tamr? And why isn’t the Turkish Air force active in the northern areas anymore, where have they all gone? only UAV’s now operating. And is Assad really going to let Erdogan confiscate 2 of his 3 major highway in the area? I doubt it.
Turkey, we look to you to bomb those anti-Damascus forces back into the pre-flood age.
it’s nothing to worry about – turkey will never ever and neither will syria (neither iraw nor iran) allow an independent or semi-independent kurdish statelet in the north east of syria even if the unhinged states of A seems to be under the impression that they can get such contraption going. it just won’t happen and russia won’t allow it to happen either. the squatters have been looking forward to a break up of syria resulting in 3 smaller entities but that won’t happen and what are the ever dumber yanks to do when they can’t get the oil to the market. tough it out or abandon the stupid kurds once again.
when it comes to the kurds, the region is as one – kurds to remain tenants in the borderland and nothing else.