Germany Rejects Possible Turkish Offensive Against Syrian Kurds
Turkish army military on the Syrian border near Ain al-Arab/Kobani, Dec. 17. 2024. X/ @EastWestGroup
December 17, 2024 Hour: 9:52 am
The Syrian Kurds’ civilian administration warned that Türkiye is preparing to attack them again.
On Tuesday, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock urged Türkiye to refrain from launching a large-scale incursion into the Kurdish autonomous region in Syria.
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“Kobani is a symbol of the courageous fight of Kurdish men and women against the Islamic State,” Baerbock stated on social media, referring to the Kurdish city that Türkiye is reportedly preparing to attack. Kobani was the site of a fierce battle against the jihadist group in 2014.
“What people need least after 14 years of war is more bloodshed. Türkiye also has a responsibility to preserve Syria’s territorial integrity and the hope for peace,” emphasized the minister, as Syria’s new interim government works to stabilize the country following the sudden collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
Last week, the German Foreign Ministry had already indirectly urged Türkiye and Israel to avoid interfering in Syria’s transition process, amid airstrikes carried out by both countries under the pretext of defending their own security.
On Tuesday, The Wall Street Journal cited senior U.S. officials who said that Turkish forces, including militia fighters, Turkish-uniformed commandos, and a significant amount of artillery, are being concentrated near Kobani.
The civilian administration of the Syrian Kurds, who established a semi-autonomous region in northeastern Syria during the civil war, has warned that Türkiye may be preparing to attack them again, after having already invaded and occupied several parts of their territory.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the militias of the Kurdish autonomous region, are allied with the United States in the fight against remnants of ISIS in Syria.
Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to Türkiye to seek assurances that Ankara would scale back operations against Kurdish fighters. However, U.S.-brokered ceasefire talks between the Syrian Kurds and Türkiye-backed rebels in Kobani failed on Monday without reaching an agreement.
Türkiye argues that both the party governing the Kurdish autonomous region in Syria and the militias in that region are linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Ankara considers them terrorists who cannot be part of the transition process following the regime’s collapse.
teleSUR/ JF Source: EFE
