For all of the latest developments, see these sources
Rojava Information Center: twitter.com/RojavaIC
ANF English: https://anfenglishmobile.com/
Hawar News: https://www.hawarnews.com/en/
1. When Turkish-backed jihadists link up with Daesh, there’s only one outcome. And it’s begun.
13 October 2019|The Canary
It appears that many of the Turkish-backed ground troops invading the mostly Kurdish populated areas of Rojava (north Syria) are al-Qaeda affiliated Syrian jihadists. They and their families are likely to take over the so-called 20 mile deep ‘safe zone’. Meanwhile, there are reports that thousands of Daesh (Isis/Isil) prisoners, held by the largely Kurdish led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), are planning to break out and rejoin the fight.
2. 20,000 on London’s streets say ‘Stop the Turkish invasion’ ‘Rise up for Rojava’ rally opposes Erdogan’s brutal war on Syria’s Kurds
13 October 2019|Morning Star
More than 20,000 took to the streets of London today as people came from across the country to oppose Turkey’s war on the Kurdish people of northern Syria. The demonstration is believed to be the largest ever organised by the Kurdish community in Britain as they took to the streets to “Rise up for Rojava” – the largely Kurdish region under attack by the Turkish state.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/20000-londons-streets-say-stop-turkish-invasion
3. Remember the media outrage when Turkey was found guilty of war crimes? No, neither do we.
13 October 2019|The Canary
NATO member Turkey invaded northern Syria on 9 October, attacking largely-Kurdish fighters who led the way in defeating Daesh (Isis/Isil). There are now allegations that “Turkish-backed terrorist groups are committing war crimes” in the region. And that wouldn’t come as a surprise. Because although there was little media outrage when it happened, Turkey was already found guilty of war crimes against Kurdish communities back in 2018.
4. Heyva Sor (Kurdish Red Crescent) Report: Turkish and Islamic groups military invasion in Northeast Syria
9 – 12 October 2019|Kurdish Red Crescent
Civilian casualties since the 9 October– starting with the Turkish invasion- recorded by KRC team
5. As countries pull arms sales to Turkey, the UK government is still complicit in death
12 October 2019|The Canary
On 9 October, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan launched a violent invasion of largely-Kurdish areas in northern Syria (aka Rojava). Now, several European countries have stepped up and stopped arms sales to Turkey. The UK government, meanwhile, continues to profit. Arms sales are ongoing and it’s fully complicit in murder as a result.
6. The assault on Rojava
11 October 2019|New Internationalist
Rahila Gupta on why Turkey is encroaching on Rojava, an autonomous democratic commune fighting on the frontlines against ISIS.
https://newint.org/features/2019/10/11/assault-rojava
7. Press Release: American Kurdish Association (AKA), Emergency Committee for Rojava (ECR), Outlive Them NYC and Metropolitan Anarchist Coordinating Council (MACC)
11 October 2019| Peace in Kurdistan/American Kurdish Association, et al
The American Kurdish Association (AKA), Emergency Committee for Rojava (ECR), Outlive Them NYC and Metropolitan Anarchist Coordinating Council (MACC) today called upon Congress and the United Nations to press for the immediate implementation of a No-Fly Zone along the Syrian border with Turkey.
8. Secretary General in Istanbul: Turkey is a great power in this great region and with great power comes great responsibility
11 October 2019|NATO
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg visited Turkey on Friday (11 October 2019) to discuss preparations for the NATO leaders’ meeting in London this December, marking NATO’s 70th anniversary. Mr. Stoltenberg met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. They discussed the Alliance’s continued adaptation and the security situation in the region. In his meeting with Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, the Secretary General thanked Turkey for its commitment and many contributions to NATO.
https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news_169576.htm
9. Moderator shares prayer for Syria
11 October 2019|The Church of Scotland
Following reports of renewed conflict in Syria, the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Rt Rev Colin Sinclair, shares a prayer for peace and protection in the region.
https://churchofscotland.org.uk/news_and_events/news/2019/moderator_shares_prayer_for_syria
10. Corbyn says sanctions on Turkey could be needed if ‘appalling’ attacks on Kurdish areas of Syria continue
11 October 2019|The Canary
The British government has faced criticism for failing to act over Turkey’s invasion of northern Syria. The UK’s NATO ally is attacking largely-Kurdish fighters who led the way in defeating Daesh (Isis/Isil). Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, meanwhile, has expressed ‘deep concern’, insisting that “there needs to be a withdrawal of all foreign forces from Syria”. And in a new interview with JOE, he has gone further.
11. Green light: Erdogan, Trump and the threat of ethnic cleansing
10 October 2019|Morning Star
With Turkey’s invasion of northern Syria, those who hold revolutionary socialist or democratic principles must hold them higher than ever before, says Marcel Cartier https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/f/green-light-erdogan-trump-and-threat-ethnic-cleansing
12. UK professor slams Western silence over Turkish links to extremism
9 October 2019|The Canary
Turkish troops have now invaded northern Syria, attacking the communities that led the way in defeating Daesh (Isis/Isil). And a UK professor has a theory about why Western elites just “shrug their shoulders” over Turkish links to jihadi extremism