- Following Turkey’s announcement of the attack on the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria (also called Rojava or Syrian Kurdistan), the United States left this Monday open for the attack, withdrawing its troops. Two days later, on Wednesday, the government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan began an invasion of Syria’s Kurdistan (IS). Rojava, its inhabitants and the ongoing revolution are in danger.
Turkey has called the military operation "Source of Peace", in which Erdogan intends to "bring peace" to the area in which they are violently attacked: “Our mission is to prevent a corridor of terror on the southern border and bring peace to this area.” It aims to create a "safe camp" in Rojava that covers 30 kilometres wide and 120 kilometres long to expel the "terrorists" and to displace Syrian refugees living in Turkey, more than three million people, according to journalist Mikel Ayestaran.
When he talks about terrorists, Erdogan not only refers to the Islamic State, but also to the People’s Protection Units (YPG). The YPG are the central axis of the Syrian Democratic Force (SDF), which together with the United States has been fighting the Islamic State, while the Turkish government has admired the Kurdish militias through its links with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
The Kurds, who are in Turkey’s sights, have had to stop fighting the Islamic State.
Aggression in the same way as the previous one
The Turkish Army and the Syrian National Army are bombing military positions, a second group known as the first Syrian Free Army, consisting of over 14,000 paramilitaries who have been trained, armed and paid by Turkey in the framework of the offensive. Attacks on Rojava began on Wednesday afternoon: The Syrian border between Kurdistan and Turkey was bombed by air in the east of Tel Abyad, Ras al-Ain and Qamixli, according to the Department of Defense. Al-Malikiya was also bombed, near the border with Iraqi Kurdistan, where there are the largest prisons in Rojava, where several members of the Islamic State are imprisoned. The Kurdish authorities have accused Turkey of trying to help the jihadists in the flight of the two countries.
Turkey began in 2018 the invasion of Syrian Kurdistan, assaulting Afrin and causing more than 2,000 deaths, the Turkish Government has reported. What is now taking place would be the continuation of that invasion. Journalist Berria Ander Perez Zalak and Mikel p. Ansa explained that the Erdonan Government is acting "as if it were the occupation of the Afrín district, with air strikes, concentration of military at the border and allegedly autonomous attacks by jihadists". This facilitated the entry of the army, which managed to enter Syrian Kurdistan the same night.
Pérez and P. Gallardón explained that Turkey has opted against strategic locations in order to reduce the IMF's responsiveness. Ansas: "About 25 aircraft were commissioned yesterday to bomb the militia bases and the area's arms stores. They entered up to 50 kilometers from the border to face a major SDF headquarters in the city of Ain Issa.”
The Kurds responded on Wednesday afternoon to Turkey by launching two shells: they took points at Ceylanpina and Nusaybí on the other side of the border, and the attacks did not result in fatalities.
According to data from the SDF press office, at least eight people, five of them civilians, died this Wednesday in the Turkish bombings.
According to the latest data from the Kurdistan Red Cross, however, the number of deaths and injuries has increased:
Latest from Kurdish Red Crescent: - 10 civilians killed in turkish bombardments so far
— Rojava Information Center (@RojavaIC) October 10, 2019
- Among them Assyrian Christian couple in Qamishlo
- 15 civilians wounded
- Full list of names and locations available on request [Arabic] https://t.co/cE4pbqvcUn
In order to carry out their resistance, the militias ask the citizens to turn towards the border, but in the face of the harsh situation, thousands of citizens have fled. They head towards the province of Hasakeh, according to Ayestaran; P. Ansa and Pérez say that they have also taken the path towards the surrounding villages and towards Koban.
The number of displaced persons is already around 100,000:
Local rights monitoring group Human Rights Organisation of Afrin gives estimate of 100,000 civilians displaced by fighting so far, mostly from Ras al-Ayn and Tel Abyad, but some from Qamishli and other cities as well. pic.twitter.com/W9tQSXD1iv
— Rojava Information Center (@RojavaIC) October 10, 2019
Internationalist solidarity
An appeal has been made to Rojava to accompany them internationally, and the Solidarity Committees with Rojava International have set 12 October as the date to convey this support. In Euskal Herria, calls for Friday, October 11 are also being disseminated: In Vitoria-Gasteiz the Plaza de la Virgen Blanca at 19:00; in Donostia-San Sebastián el Bulevar at 19:00; in Bilbao el Arriaga at 19:00 and in Pamplona/Iruña the Plaza del Ayuntamiento at 18:30.