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Syria
A portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is seen outside the Suran crossing point, close to the Syrian-Turkish border, September 25, 2019. Photo: Maxime Popov / AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is “detached from reality” and Syria will do everything it can to repel the Turkish offensive on its northern provinces, Syria’s Ministry of Foreign affairs said in a statement Thursday.
Turkey’s “Peace Spring” operation, aimed at clearing Kurdish armed groups from the border and settling up to three million Syrian refugees in the area, began on Wednesday.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry was responding to earlier comments made by Erdogan at a Justice and Development Party (AKP) meeting.
An “official source”, quoted by state media agency SANA, accused Erdogan of supporting “terror and terrorists in Turkey” by arming, training, and protecting them and sending them “to kill Syrians”.
“Today, the Turkish President appeared with statements that come from only someone detached from reality, in which he talks of his keenness to protect the Syrian people, while he is the frivolous killer drowning in the blood of this people,” the official is reported to have said, accusing Erdogan of leading a “Muslim Brotherhood regime” that has killed Syrians.
Speaking to AKP members on Thursday, Erdogan said: “While tens of foreign powers are throwing javelins at Syrian territory, Turkey’s operation to prevent terror is criticized. This is unacceptable. Turkey is showing that it is, perhaps, the only legitimate power on this country’s soil.”
“The fact that there is no [opposition] voice against the real invaders in Syria but Turkey is being criticized for preserving its legitimate rights means surrender,” he added, in a snub to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who has the backing of Russian troops and pro-Iran militias on his soil.
The Turkish operation has killed at least 11 civilians, including children, since it began on Wednesday evening, according to the Kurdish Red Crescent, and has already displaced more than 60,000 civilians, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
On Wednesday, Damascus said “Kurdish groups” were responsible for Turkey’s invasion for having believed the US would support them. The foreign ministry repeated this stance on Thursday.
“The Syrian Arab Republic … affirms that it will counter the brutal Turkish aggression in all its different forms in any area of Syria through all legitimate means and methods,” it said.
“The train of fighting terrorism in Syria is marching and won’t be stopped by the statements of Erdogan or the likes of him, and the protection of the Syrian people is the duty of the Syrian Arab Army and the Syrian Republic only,” it added.
It is not clear whether the Syrian regime will step up and provide Kurdish forces with protection. The two are not on good terms, and the Syrian regime has previously accused the SDF of being part of a US-Israeli conspiracy.
Two rounds of talks between the two sides failed, as Damascus refused to recognize the autonomous region that the Kurds have carved out for themselves. This time, however, Russia has said it will try to foster talks between the two sides.
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