Ankara has recently carried out a series of deadly attacks in areas covered by 2019 ceasefires brokered by the US and Russia, targeting senior Kurdish fighters who are parts of forces allied with the US-led coalition.
Soner Cagaptay, senior fellow at the Washington Institute, told Rudaw English that the fact that Turkey has helped maintain security at Hamid Karzai Airport in Afghanistan’s capital Kabul has put Washington in a spot and paved the way for Ankara to increase its attacks against the People’s Protection Units (YPG), which is the backbone of the US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), as part of its military campaign against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
“Washington always recognized that the PKK is a mortal threat to Turkey, even if it is couched under the SDF. There is recognition inside the US government that the YPG is an offshoot of the PKK. So it is hard for the US government to oppose Turkey’s actions on that ground,” said the analyst. “So as long as Afghanistan is in the game, I think Turkey has quite a bit of leverage at this moment.”
Turkey has increased its attacks against YPG and SDF positions and their commanders in the last few weeks. The bombardments and drone strikes have led to the deaths of several fighters and commanders as well as civilians in Qamishli, Tal Tamir, and Hasaka.
“Turkey is showing its strong hand, knowing that except for criticism - not so harsh - from the US, there is very little that Washington can do to convince Ankara to not continue with these strikes,” said Cagaptay.
Kurds have been in control of most of the northeast of Syria for some eight years, taking over in the early years of the popular uprising against President Bashar al-Assad. Turkey has conducted two major campaigns against the Kurdish forces, seizing key areas of Afrin in 2018 and the towns of Sari Kani (Ras al-Ain) and Gire Spi (Tal Abyad) in 2019. That last offensive ended with ceasefires brokered by Washington and Moscow that saw Russian and Syrian regime forces deployed to the frontline between the two sides to keep the truce.
Ankara claims that YPG is an offshoot of the PKK - an armed group fighting for the increased rights of Kurds in Turkey.
The recent attacks have been condemned by Rojava authorities.
“New Turkish attacks against areas included in the ceasefire agreement between the U.S, Russia and Turkey. Turkey is waging another war against our people who fought tyranny and terrorism. The guarantor countries need to assume their responsibility and stop the Turkish attacks,” said Elham Ahmed, president of the Executive Committee of the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC), the political arm of the SDF.
Aram Hanna, spokesperson for the SDF, told NPA news outlet on Sunday that Russian efforts to control Rojava’s borders with Turkey and oversee the ceasefire is appreciated, but “these efforts are not up to the required level that deters these forces from committing these violations.”
Rudaw English reached out to the Russian foreign ministry and the country’s embassy in Syria, but they were not available for comment.
A State Department spokesperson told Rudaw this week that Washington is “deeply concerned” about the increased military activities in Rojava. "We support maintenance of the current ceasefire lines and urge all parties to de-escalate."
Sama Bakdash, spokesperson for the Democratic Union Party (PYD), political arm of the YPG, said Russia and the US are “partners” in Turkey’s attacks because they have failed to stop them.
“America is trying to reduce escalation to create a balance, but so far it has not. It plays an active role in the possibility of stopping these attacks and limiting the Turkish drones that target civilians, and it has no clear practical position on the ground to confront the Turkish drones,” she told ANHA news outlet on Wednesday.
Cagaptay believes that Ankara’s attacks against Kurdish fighters in Syria are linked to its broader PKK strategy, a three-stage plan: removing them from Turkey, going after them in its headquarters in Kurdistan Region’s Qandil mountains, and targeting PKK-affiliated groups in Syria.
The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (NES), or Rojava administration, made an urgent appeal to Russia and the US-led global coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS) on Monday to speak up against Turkey’s attacks.
Geir O. Pedersen, United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, said on Tuesday that he has “very regrettably seen an escalation in many parts of Syria recently.”
“We repeat our calls on all parties to end the violence immediately and to meet their obligation under international humanitarian law to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure,” he added.
The Turkish defense ministry announced on Wednesday that it has begun withdrawing its troops from Hamid Karzai Airport in Kabul after evacuating over a thousand civilians and “successfully” fulfilling their task, possibly an indication it no longer plans to help secure the airport after the US withdrawal.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke on the phone with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu on Tuesday. Blinken said in a tweet that they discussed “joint efforts to ensure a safe and orderly evacuation from Afghanistan,” adding that Turkey is “an important NATO Ally and an invaluable partner in the region.”
