KSA condemns ‘blatant aggression’ as Erdogan invades northeast Syria
•Airstrikes and artillery pound border towns •Kurds mobilize forces to fight back
Saudi Arabia condemned Turkey’s invasion of northeast Syria on Wednesday as airstrikes and artillery pounded Syrian border towns.
The attack was “a blatant violation of the unity, independence, and sovereignty of Syrian territories” a Foreign Ministry spokesman said. “Regardless of the pretexts that Turkey is claiming, the seriousness of this aggression on northeastern Syria has negative repercussions on the security and stability of the region, especially undermining the international efforts in combating Daesh,” the spokesman said.
Turkey said its target was military positions held by Syrian Defense Forces (SDF) led by Kurdish YPG militias, which it views as terrorists, but civilians were also hit and at least two people died.
Thousands fled the Syrian towns of Ras Al-Ain and Tal Abyad toward Hasaka province, which is held by the SDF. Massive explosions rocked Ras Al-Ain as Turkish fighter jets flew above and plumes of black smoke rose from buildings.
The SDF said military positions and civilians in the city of Qamishli and the town of Ain Issa, more than 30 km inside Syria, had been hit, and
THOUSANDS FLEE
there had been civilian casualties. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made it clear this week that the invasion was coming, and the Kurds were expecting it. The Kurdish-led authority in northern Syria declared a state of “general mobilization.”
“We call on all our institutions, and our people in all their compodemonstration nents, to head toward the border region with Turkey to fulfil their moral duty and show resistance in these sensitive, historic moments,” it said.
Among the Kurds who have gone to the border to fight are troops guarding Daesh prisoners in northern Syria, raising fears of a resurgence of the militant group.
The Turkish invasion became inevitable when US President Donald Trump pulled US troops from their border posts early on Monday. The Kurds were the main US allies in the fight against Daesh, and their leaders described the US pullout as “a stab in the back.”
Erdogan said the aim of the invasion was to “prevent the creation of a terror corridor” south of Turkey’s border with Syria. Analysts told Arab News that if Turkey limited its incursion to the areas around Ras Al-Ain and Tal Abyad, it could succeed because of regional demographics.
Arab tribes in the two towns would calculate who was most likely to be the “winner of the operation,” said Galip Dalay of Oxford University. “Some local groups who were previously cooperating with the YPG could now side with the Turks if they think the Turkish army will gain more,” he said.