Jeffrey to relay Kurdish fears of another Turkish incursion to Washington: Rojava official

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — US Special Envoy to Syria James Jeffrey told Kurdish leaders in northeast Syria that he would inform US top officials of Syrian Kurds’ fears of another Turkish military operation in the region, a Kurdish opposition politician told Rudaw on Wednesday.

Jeffrey visited the area, known to Kurds as Rojava, on Sunday and met with Kurdish ruling and opposition parties as well as Arab tribal leaders, according to a statement from the US Department of State.

Sulaiman Oso, a leading member of the Kurdish National Council (ENKS),  who was present at the meeting told Rudaw English that officials discussed “the fears of Kurds about a new Turkish military operation in areas where Turkish forces and its armed groups are not currently present.”

“He said he would take these things to high US officials,” Oso said via WhatsApp. 

Turkey launched Operation Peace Spring in October 2019, designed to clear a swathe of Rojava of the multi-ethnic Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in order to resettle Syrians from elsewhere in the country. It now controls an area between Sari Kani (Ras al-Ain) and Gire Spi (Tal Abyad).

The SDF mostly consists of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG). It is the only ally of the US-led Global Coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS) on the ground in Syria. Its political arm, the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC), governs the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (NES), another name for Rojava.

However, Sama Bakdash, spokesperson for the ruling Democratic Union Party (PYD), told Rudaw that Jeffrey said that he would prevent a possible Turkish military operation in Rojava.

"He said that Turkey should not attack the Eastern Euphrates or any other part that is currently not under its control. If it does, the US will prevent and sanction it, like it didn’t in the past."
 
Turkish state-owned Anadolu Agency (AA) also cited an unnamed Syrian local official on Tuesday, claiming that Jeffrey had assured the Kurds that Turkey would not launch a new military operation against Kurds in Syria.

Oso believes that the US will only consider economic sanctions if Turkey invades again. US President Donald Trump had threatened in October 2019 to “obliterate” the Turkish economy if it went“off-limits” in its Operation Peace Spring, but did not act on the threats. 

Turkey has launched three military operations against Kurdish fighters in Syria in the last four years.

In August 2016, Turkey launched Operation Euphrates Shield near the Euphrates river in Syria against the SDF and Islamic State (ISIS). In early 2018, it launched Operation Olive Branch in Afrin, a Kurdish enclave in northwest Syria, which it controls to this day. In the fall of 2019, Turkey carried out Operation Peace Spring. The campaign ended with ceasefires brokered by Washington and Moscow that saw the SDF pull back from the border and around Sari Kani and Gire Spi. 

Salih Gado, leader of the Kurdish Left Democratic Party also attended the meeting as part of a PYD-led delegation. He told Rudaw English on Tuesday that Jeffrey said the US would sanction Turkey if it carries out attacks outside its current area of control in Rojava.

Rudaw English has reached out to the US State Department for comment.

In his latest trip to Rojava, Jeffrey met with those involved in the ongoing negotiations between disputing Kurdish political parties, and promised to continue supporting local actors in the fight against ISIS, according to the US statement.

Jeffrey later met with top leaders in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq the following day, where the officials discussed the future of Kurds in northern Syria and the continued threats imposed by ISIS remnants in Iraq and Syria.