8-9 October 2019
Kurdish soldiers I spoke to feared Trump would be a treacherous ally. But the scale of his betrayal is terrifying
9 October 2019|Patrick Cockburn, The Independent
We are already on the downslope leading to the ethnic cleansing of up to 2 million Kurds in the vast triangle of land which they call Rojava in northeast Syria.
BREAKING: Update on Turkish Military Invasion as of 22:21 GMT
9 October 2019| Rojava Information Center
Our team on the ground in Sere Kaniye confirms that Turkish airstrikes have begun. RIC researcher says explosions have occurred both inside and outside the city.
Many civilians are fleeing on foot and in trucks, with anything they can lay their hands on.
- Strikes inside the city of Sere Kaniye with artillery, warplanes strike villages of Mishrafa and Sefaha.
- Villages near Tel Abyad have also been struck.
- Turkish army is also now shelling the neighbourhood of Qudurbeq of Qamishlo city.
- They are also shelling villages close to Derik city.
- In Sere Kaniye: “There have been explosions, we have seen several planes flying over the city. Turkish forces have used artillery to shell the city itself, and used planes to bomb the surrounding villages…”
- Kurdish Red Crescent has announced in a statement they are moving teams from the refugee camps to the border region to provide support, warning this will have a negative impact on care in the camps. Violence against guards, tent fires and general unrest continue in Hol Camp.
- As of approximately 8.19pm, 5 civilians killed in Turkish attacks (1 in Qamishlo, 2 in Mishrafa village in Sere Kaniye, and 2 in al-Matkalta village west of Tal Abyad) and 9 wounded in Turkish shelling in North East Syria.
Turkish attacks against North and East Syria – LIVE BLOG
9 October 2019| ANF English
Turkey-Syria border: All the latest updates
9 October 2019 – Rolling Updates|Al Jazeera
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/10/turkey-syria-border-latest-updates-191008131745495.html
Turkey’s Syria Assault Stymies the Fight Against ISIS
9 October 2019|Foreign Policy
The Trump administration’s abrupt decision to pull out of Syria has, as expected, led to a pause in the fight against the Islamic State. “We are all hunkered down and not moving,” a senior U.S. administration official said, noting that all intelligence and surveillance missions previously directed at monitoring the terrorist group are now “focused on force protection.”
https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/10/09/turkeys-incursion-into-syria-halts-the-fight-against-isis/
Turkey begins offensive on Kurdish-held northeast Syria
9 October 2019|Middle East Eye
Assault on region begins alongside Syrian rebel allies, despite Trump’s insistence that Washington has not abandoned the Kurds. Local journalist Raj Mussa confirmed to Middle East Eye that Ras al-Ain was struck by 20 to 25 air strikes and artillery shells. “We can hear Turkish warplanes over both areas. People are scared and are trying to get out because they are afraid of getting killed,” Mussa said.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/turkish-forces-begin-syria-offensive-shortly-erdogan-aide
Turkey Begins Bombing Northeast Syria
8 October 2018|Foreign Policy
Turkey began air and artillery strikes on Syrian border towns, including Ras al-Ain, Tell Abyad, and Qamshli, on Wednesday, according to officials with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and its political arm, the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC). Turkey also began bombing locations as far as 25 miles (40 km) inside northeast Syria, including Katouf and Ain Issa, where the SDF and SDC headquarters are located, officials confirmed.
Turkey’s route into Syria full of pitfalls
8 October 2019|Al Monitor
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been vindicated in his reliance on President Donald Trump. The US leader has given him the green light for a Turkish incursion into northeastern Syria to carve out the “safe zone” Ankara has been pushing for some time. Ankara wants exclusive military control over an area 480 kilometers (300 miles) long and at least 30 kilometers (18 miles) deep in Syrian territory east of the Euphrates River.
Macron meets with MSD’s Ehmed: We stand by the SDF
9 October 2019|ANF English
French President Emmanuel Macron has met with Syrian Democratic Council (MSD) Executive Council Co-president Ilham Ehmed. A source from French Presidency said that; “The idea is to show that France stands by the SDF because they are our key allies in the fight against ISIS.”
https://anfenglishmobile.com/news/macron-meets-with-msd-s-ehmed-we-stand-by-the-sdf-38202
Trump invites Erdogan to the White House
8 October 2019|Al Monitor
A day after threatening to obliterate its economy if Turkey attacked the Kurds, US President Donald Trump announced via Twitter that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan would be “coming to the US as my guest on November 13th,” and reminded his audience of Turkey’s importance as a trading partner and NATO member.
https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2019/10/trump-invites-erdogan-guest-white-house.html
Deep concern for stability and human rights in north-eastern Syria
9 October 2019| Socialist International
The SI is deeply concerned by the potential implications of unilateral Turkish military action in north-eastern Syria, which could have severe consequences for regional stability, human rights and the continuing fight against terrorism.
Turkey launches offensive in northern Syria with air strikes
9 October 2019|BBC News
Turkish warplanes have bombed parts of north-eastern Syria at the start of an offensive which could lead to conflict with Kurdish-led allies of the US. Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the operation was to create a “safe zone” cleared of Kurdish militias which will also house Syrian refugees. According to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), civilian areas came under attack from Turkish planes.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-49983357
Turkey launches military operation in northern Syria
9 October 2019|The Guardian
“The Turkish Armed Forces, together with the Syrian National Army, just launched #OperationPeaceSpring against PKK/YPG and Daesh [Isis] terrorists in northern Syria. Our mission is to prevent the creation of a terror corridor across our southern border, and to bring peace to the area,” Erdoğan tweeted on Wednesday.
Despite Syria ‘Safe Zone,’ Kurdish Leader Fears Threat from Turkey
23 September 2019|Foreign Policy
Despite the creation of a security zone on the border between Turkey and northeast Syria that has defused some tension in recent weeks, Syrian Kurds still fear the movement of Turkish ground and aerial forces in their backyard could be a prelude to an assault on the country’s Kurdish minority population.
“If they can, they will go to Damascus,” said Ilham Ahmed, a co-chair of the Syrian Democratic Council, the political arm of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that are responsible for liberating northeastern Syria from the Islamic State.