With the conflict with the Islamic State (IS) almost concluded, Turkey has made a decisive move against Kurdish fighters on the border with Syria.
As most international players have been pulling out of Syria, the Syrian Kurds will have only themselves to fed for this time.
Who are the Kurds?
Kurds are an ethnic-linguistic group that inhabit the middle-east and are spread across the border regions of four countries.
Their demands have varied from wanting a separate country for themselves to demanding greater autonomy within the framework of the existing states.
During the conflict with the IS in Iraq and Syria in the past three years, the military wing of the Syrian Kurds (SDF) was supported by the USA.
In 2017, Iraqi Kurds attempted to declare independence, but were curtailed by Iraqi army’s intervention into the Kurdish autonomous region.
Currently, Syrian Kurds seem to be on a similar pursuit along the Syria-Turkey border, which has got Turkey worried.
How did they act in the operations against IS?
The “Syrian Democratic Force (SDF)” was created in 2015 by the various Syrian Kurdish political forces.
U.S. Alliance - Various strategic considerations saw the U.S. coordinating with SDF to secure ground support for its operations against IS in north Syria.
SDF with air support from the U.S., routed the IS from Raqqa in October 2017.
Subsequently, the Kurdish leadership asked Raqqa’s people to join the Kurdish-run state of “Democratic Federation of Northern Syria (Rojava)”.
Notably, “Rojava” means “Western Kurdistan” and was perceived as a symbolic assertion of the future Kurdish ambitions of a greater Kurdish state.
Turkey’s Concern - In order to confront the IS, SDF allied with other minority groups like Assyrians and the region’s major Sunni tribe Shammars.
But as the Kurdish militia “People’s Protection Units (YPG)” was the dominant entity in SDF, Turkey primarily saw it as a Kurdish resurrection movement.
Hence, Turkey had ideologically opposed it from the start and had for long been threatening to enter Syria with an armed offensive against SDF.
But despite the grumbling, the U.S. pressure and the primacy of finishing the IS had effectively dettered action.
What is the current operation?
Recently, with the IS wiped out, Turkish President Erdogan announced the start of Turkish armed operations against the Kurds across the Syria border.
This will bring SDP in directly in war with Turkey, which is a mere extension of the already ongoing war against the Kurds within Turkey’s southern provinces.
Notably, Turkey is vehemently opposed to any form of ethnic Kurdish assertion, and has even declared “Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK)” as terrorists.
Within Trukey, most Kurdish towns are under eternal curfew and almost all Kurdish political parties are effectively banned.
How has the international reactions been?
With the threat of IS no more, international interests seems to be vanining in the region and regional powers are becoming assertive again.
Indications are also clear that Mr. Erdogan had sought assurances from all the major players in northern Syria before he sent in his troops.
The U.S. seems to have cut off links with its Syrian Kurdish allies and has stated its intentions of not wanting to stay in norther Syria for long.
The Russians too seemed to have withdrawn as the Russian backed “Syrian Arab Army”, gave assurances that it would not contest the Turkish invasion.
Hence, as Turkey invades into Kurd controlled Syria, the SDP and the Syrian Kurds have only themselves to fend for.
How is battle unfolding?
Turkish tanks have moved swiftly through Afrin’s Shera and Sherawa districts, with YPG and YPJ fighters trying their best to hold off the ground assault.
Turkey’s domination of air is giving its ground forces a decisive advantage and with continued bombing of SDF positions, the Kurds don’t stand a chance.
Significantly, at this juncture, there is nobody who will be willing to go to the United Nations to ask Turkey to call off its war.
