Why Turkey attacked Kurdish forces in Syria

Despite the widespread condemnation of the international community, the Turkish President Recep Tayyeb Erdogan Wednesday announced the start of a military operation against the regions of the northeastern Syriacontrolled by Kurdish forces. "Source of peace": is the name of the offensive who threw Turkey. According to the president, the goal is to create a "safe zone" separating the border of his country Kurdish positions, which has earned him an avalanche of international criticism.

The Turkish army concentrates its operations on the border towns of Ras al-Ain and Tal Abyad, located in the Syrian provinces of Hassake in the north-east and Raqqa in the north, respectively. After aerial bombardments and violent artillery attacks, Turkish troops launched a ground offensive Wednesday night, attacking the city of Tall Abyad. The Kurdish – dominated Syrian Democratic Forces claimed a few hours later that they had "pushed back" the offensive. More than 180 "terrorist" targets have been reached, says a statement from the Turkish Ministry of Defense. In the face of intense fighting and shelling, the inhabitants of the Syrian border towns, driven by panic, fled in disorder to areas further south, reports the correspondent. RFI in Beirut, Paul Khalifeh.

Kurdish fighters armed with rocket launchers are deployed in the streets of the border towns, determined to resist the Turkish land offensive, which aims to establish a buffer zone 400 kilometers long and 20 kilometers deep, which is located in the border. extends from the provinces of Aleppo to Hassake. An initial evaluation shows that 15 people were killed, including eight civilians. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), dominated by the Kurds, called on the population to mobilize in general, while expressing their concern about the humanitarian consequences of the Turkish offensive.

Turkey has placed the Syrian militias, heterogeneous groups formed, funded and regrouped within the Syrian National Army in the front line. There are about 20,000 men, supported by thousands of Turkish soldiers, who possess one of the best air forces in the region, hundreds of artillery pieces and heavy tanks. The Kurds, meanwhile, can mobilize up to 50,000 combatants affected by years of fighting against the Islamic State group and armed with weapons provided by the United States, including weapons and tanks. The battle announces tough for both parties.

Although we can not speak unanimously, it is possible to state that the majority of Turks support the ongoing offensive. The presence of Kurdish militias of Popular Protection Units (YPG) along the Turkish border, the possibility of creating an autonomous region in Syria or even an independent state, He is perceived as a major threat for security both by the state and by the public.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump is harshly criticized by ex-US Army fighters for "forsaking" the Kurds, Washington's allies, having withdrawn their troops from northern Syria near the border with Turkey . open the way to an offensive in Ankara.

Turkey launched its assault Wednesday, which was announced long ago, only hours after Trump announced that the "50 US soldiers" affected had "left" the region, expose the Kurdsthat Ankara considers a terrorist threat. The former chief of US forces in the Middle East, General Joseph Votel, accused the US president of abandoning these allies, the hard core of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDS), who were essential in the fight against the Islamic State group.

The American president had long warned that he wanted to end the US involvement in Syria. He also argued that his country could not do anything against the hatred of the Turks and Kurds. On Wednesday, he hinted that he had sufficiently helped the Kurds by "spending considerable sums", including to provide them with weapons. "That said, we love Kurds."