Turkey-backed forces seize Kurdish town in Syria’s north
ISTANBUL — Turkish military and allied Syrian forces marched into the center of the northern Syrian town of Afrin Sunday, raising their flags and shooting in the air in celebration nearly two months after launching their offensive on the Kurdish enclave. The advancing troops faced little resistance from the Kurdish militia that retreated and vowed to turn to guerrilla tactics.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the capture of Afrin, previously controlled by the Kurdish militia known as the People’s Defense Units, or YPG.
“Many of the terrorists had turned tail and run away already,” Erdogan said in a speech in western Turkey. “In Afrin’s center, it is no longer the rags of the terror organization that are waving but rather the symbols of peace and security.”
The Kurdish militia called the assault on Afrin an “occupation” and vowed a “new phase” of guerrilla tactics against Turkish troops and its allied Syrian fighters.
It is not clear what Turkey would do after the capture of Afrin. Turkey views the Kurdish forces in the Afrin enclave along the border as terrorists linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which has waged a decades-long insurgency within Turkey’s borders.
Erdogan has repeatedly said that Turkey will not allow a “terror corridor” along its border and has vowed to push east after Afrin. Erdogan threatened to move to Manbij, a Kurdish-run town to the east where U.S. troops have also maintained a presence after it was cleared of Islamic State militants in 2016.
Washington’s support to the YPG, including arming the militia and relying on it to battle Islamic State militants in eastern Syria, has strained relations between Turkey and the U.S. A push east could further inflame tension.
In an attempt to prevent such a move east, Washington began discussions to address Turkey’s concerns about the Kurdish militia’s presence in Manbij. Turkey wants the YPG to pull out from the town.
Meanwhile, U.S. and Kurdish officials said Turkey’s fight with the YPG has distracted from fighting Islamic State. A Kurdish official Sunday said the fight against Islamic State in northeastern Deir elZour province, where remnants of the group have remained, have been put on hold as the battle for Afrin unfolded.
On Sunday, Kurdish officials said they had evacuated Afrin of civilians. Footage of long lines of vehicles leaving the town was aired on Syrian staterun TV. Fewer residents got out on foot or on motorcycles.
Later Sunday, limited fighting was reported in some pockets in Afrin while Turkish military said it was combing the area for land mines and explosives.
In a press conference outside of Afrin, Kurdish official Othman Sheik Issa said a new phase of the fight will begin against Turkey, threatening “hit and run tactics” to target Turkish troops and its allied forces. He said YPG fighters remain deployed in areas of Afrin.
“Our forces in all parts of Afrin will turn into a continuous nightmare for them,” Issa said.