Turkey warns it may target state soldiers
BEIRUT — Turkey warned the Syrian government Monday against entering the Kurdishcontrolled enclave in northern Syria where a major Turkish military offensive is under way, saying it would hit back at the troops if their goal is to protect the Kurdish fighters.
The warning sets up a potential clash between Turkish troops and Syrian government forces backed by Russia and Iran, whose deployment would be a first step toward restoring President Bashar Assad’s presence along the border with Turkey.
The warning by the Turkish foreign minister came shortly after Syrian state media said progovernment forces would enter Afrin to bolster local forces in confronting Turkey’s “aggression” after reaching an agreement with the Kurdish militia known as the People’s Protection Units, or YPG, which controls Afrin.
Details of the deal were not announced by either side, and Kurdish officials said talks were still ongoing. By nightfall, no troops had entered Afrin.
Assad’s troops have had no presence in Afrin since they pulled out of most of northern Syria in 2012, as nation-wide protests against Assad transformed into a civil war. A return to the area, where a potent mix of regional and international powers have boots on the ground, could further complicate the situation and lead to unwanted confrontations.
However, depending on the details of the agreement, it may also serve to defuse the situation in Afrin, where Turkey has been struggling to achieve results in its now monthlong offensive to push back YPG fighters from its borders.
Ankara considers the YPG a terrorist group linked to the Kurdish insurgency within Turkey’s borders. On Jan. 20, it launched a major air and ground offensive, pounding the enclave with air strikes and artillery on a daily basis.
Turkey’s foreign minister, speaking at a news conference in Amman, Jordan, said Turkey would have no problem if Syrian government forces were entering Afrin to clear the area from YPG fighters, but that it would strike back if it turns out the deployment was meant to shore up the Kurds against Turkey.
“If the regime is entering to protect the YPG, then no one can stop us, stop Turkey or the Turkish soldiers,” Mevlut Cavusoglu said.
Turkey has supported rebels fighting to overthrow Assad throughout the seven-year civil war, but in recent years has focused more on trying to contain the Kurds. Government troops deployed along its borders, at this point, may be more palatable for Ankara than the continued presence of the powerful YPG.
The group has received weapons and training from the U.S. for years and has been Washington’s main partner in the war against the Islamic State group in Syria.
It was not clear who, exactly, would enter Afrin. Syria’s state-run news agency, SANA, said pro-government fighters known as “popular forces” would deploy to the area.
“The popular forces joining the resistance against Turkish occupation in Afrin comes in the framework of supporting residents as well as defending Syria and its sovereignty,” SANA said. It added that the deployment aims to “frustrate attempts by Erdogan’s regime and its mercenaries of terrorist organizations to occupy the area,” referring to Turkish-backed Syrian insurgents.
Elsewhere in Syria, government shelling of the rebel-held eastern suburbs of Damascus killed at least 30 people, according to opposition activists and paramedics. The besieged region known as eastern Ghouta has been subjected to bombardments for weeks that have killed and wounded hundreds of people.