Both Kurdish forces in Syria and humanitarian organizations on the ground warned this week that militias backed by Turkey are seizing territory in northern Syria and endangering Kurdish civilians, including potentially engaging in “ethnic cleansing.”
The Syrian National Army (SNA), an amalgam of various militias supported by the Turkish government, announced a military campaign in Syrian Kurdistan this week shortly after Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a jihadist outfit with ties to al-Qaeda, conducted a surprise siege of Aleppo, the second-largest city in Syria. The dictatorship of Syrian leader Bashar Assad lost control of Aleppo last week; reports on Thursday indicate it may have also lost control of the city of Hama.
The clashes between the SNA and Kurdish forces in Syrian Kurdistan do not appear to be in support of HTS. Rather, it is an operation, overtly supported by the Islamist government of Turkey, to erode Kurdish control over northern Syria. The Kurds lead the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) through their military, the People’s Protection Units (YPG/YPJ). The YPG and its all-female partners in the YPJ were instrumental in helping the United States dismantle the Islamic State “caliphate” in Syria in the last decade and are now warning that some Islamic State elements are taking advantage of the chaos to attempt to regroup.
www.breitbart.com
Turkey pretty much received a green light from Russis so they're gonna go after the Kurds...
The Syrian National Army (SNA), an amalgam of various militias supported by the Turkish government, announced a military campaign in Syrian Kurdistan this week shortly after Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a jihadist outfit with ties to al-Qaeda, conducted a surprise siege of Aleppo, the second-largest city in Syria. The dictatorship of Syrian leader Bashar Assad lost control of Aleppo last week; reports on Thursday indicate it may have also lost control of the city of Hama.
The clashes between the SNA and Kurdish forces in Syrian Kurdistan do not appear to be in support of HTS. Rather, it is an operation, overtly supported by the Islamist government of Turkey, to erode Kurdish control over northern Syria. The Kurds lead the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) through their military, the People’s Protection Units (YPG/YPJ). The YPG and its all-female partners in the YPJ were instrumental in helping the United States dismantle the Islamic State “caliphate” in Syria in the last decade and are now warning that some Islamic State elements are taking advantage of the chaos to attempt to regroup.
Syrian Jihadi Rebels Move on to Second Major City, Hama
Syrian rebel commander Hassan Abdul Ghany says his forces have begun to penetrate the strategic city of Hama.
www.breitbart.com
Turkey pretty much received a green light from Russis so they're gonna go after the Kurds...
