Rojava villages empty in fear of new Turkish offensive

AIN AL-ABID, Syria - In northeast Syria (Rojava), fear is growing of a new Turkish offensive. More than a dozen villages have been emptied and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) reported “provocative mobilizations” of Turkish-backed Syrian militias along the frontlines between the two sides.

Between Tal Tamir and Ain Issa, 15 villages have been completely emptied, according to an SDF source. 

In the village of Ain al-Abid, near Tal Tamir, 52-year-old Abdulkarim Ahmed is worried. 

“The people will definitely be affected. They’ll become homeless and have to leave their homes. They’ll also migrate. We’ll lose our source of food,” he said, calling on the international community to step in and prevent a conflict. 

Turkey for several weeks has been threatening a new offensive against Kurdish forces in Rojava. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in October said he has “no patience” with Kurdish forces in Tal Rifaat, a pocket of territory in the northern Aleppo countryside. Ankara considers the SDF a branch of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and a threat to its national security. 

“We can spare no effort in our fight against terrorist groups,” Erdogan said earlier this month after attending a G20 summit in Rome. He said Turkey will carry out cross-border operations to fight terrorism “whenever necessary.”

Turkish media reported Kurdish forces laying mines in the Tal Rifaat area.

On Monday, the SDF reported “provocative mobilizations” of Syrian militias along the frontlines around Sari Kani (Ras al-Ain), Gire Spi (Tal Abyad), Ain Issa, and Manbij. “Hundreds of mercenaries accompanied by Turkish occupation soldiers and armored vehicles have been stationed at several junction points… and they have tried many times to provoke our forces,” read a statement from Farhad Shami, head of the SDF’s media centre.

These areas are covered by 2019 ceasefires brokered by Moscow and Washington to end another Turkish offensive that aimed to push the SDF back from the border around Sari Kani and Gire Spi. The SDF withdrew 32 kilometres from the border and Syrian regime and Russian forces were deployed to monitor the truce. 

Russian Ambassador to Iraq Elbrus Kutrashev earlier this month acknowledged Turkey “probably” is planning a new operation. Moscow opposes foreign intervention in Syria and has tried to mediate, “to contain it because we consider it dangerous,” he said in an interview with Rudaw’s Bestoon Khalid. “But Turks have their [own] agenda. We understand it.” Kutrashev previously served in Russia’s diplomatic mission to Damascus from 2015 to 2018.


Translation and video editing by Sarkawt Mohammed