Emmanuel Macron says he, Boris Johnson and Angela Merkel will meet Recep Tayyip Erdogan within weeks — probably in London. The European Union has called for Turkey to withdraw troops from the Kurdish region in Syria.
Image: picture-alliance/AA/Turkish Armed Forces
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At the conclusion of the EU summit, French President Emmanuel Macron said he, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson would meet with Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the coming weeks — most likely in London. Macron called the offensive Turkey's unilateral military offensive against a Kurdish region in Syria "madness" and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's failure to react to the assault a "serious mistake."
On Friday, EU leaders urged Erdogan to withdraw his troops.
In a joint statement, the 28 EU leaders said the military operation "causes unacceptable human suffering, undermines the fight against Da'esh and threatens heavily European security." Da'esh is an alternative name for the "Islamic State" terror group.
The pause in fighting will last 120 hours to allow Kurdish forces to move away from a "safe zone" along Turkey's border and allow for negotiations toward a permanent end to the conflict.
In their statement, EU officials acknowledged the cease-fire announcement, but again urged "Turkey to end its military action, to withdraw its forces and to respect international humanitarian law."
On Monday, the European Union had passed a resolution to limit arms sales to Turkey. Some countries, including Germany, have vowed not to deliver weapons to Turkey while the offensive is ongoing.
'Our task'
Chancellor Merkel continued to defend the European Union's refugee swap deal with Turkey after the summit on Friday. Merkel said the agreement was made because of the "humanity" of the people most affected: displaced people who would not have to risk the often deadly sea crossing from Turkey to the EU nation of Greece.
"We know how many people have died in the Aegean," Merkel said on Friday. "We know what anguish that has brought to me. And that is why it is our task to strike such arrangements."
Merkel said it remained important to criticize Turkey's violations of human rights, such as by imprisoning or otherwise silencing journalists. As relates to the offensive against the Kurdish region in northern Syria, Merkel said one could acknowledge the "definite security interests of Turkey," but also the immense suffering caused. She said she would remain in contact with Erdogan.
Turkish officials view the YPG, the main component of the SDF, as a terrorist group linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has fought a nearly four-decade war for Kurdish rights against the Turkish state.
Erdogan said he wanted to defeat the YPG and create a 32-kilometer-deep, 480-kilometer-long (20-mile by 300-mile) "safe zone" along the Syrian border to protect Turkey's security and provide room to resettle millions of Syrian refugees now in Turkey.
EU officials say the bloc "remains engaged in its efforts towards effectively addressing the serious humanitarian and refugee crisis in light of evolving needs."
Syrian Kurds weigh few options as Turkey invades
People's lives have been upended by the Turkish offensive in northern Syria. Relief is mixed with worry that the Syrian regime is back as a force. Families are in flight, and the number of dead is rising in the region.
Image: Karlos Zurutuza
Kurdish families in search of safety
According to UN sources almost 200,000 people have become IDPs (internally displaced people) since Turkey launched an attack on Kurdish-controlled territories on October 9. Many Kurds have reportedly tried to cross the border to seek shelter in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, but only those who can produce an Iraqi-Kurdish resident card are allowed to cross.
Image: Karlos Zurutuza
Men alone
Many villages in Syria's northeast have nearly emptied of people over the last week. Women and children in towns close Turkey have been heading further inland, to Hassakeh, leaving the border region inhabited almost only by men. "Conditions are deteriorating rapidly in Hassakeh due to the massive flux of people, so we decided to stay," Suna, a mother of three children told DW.
Image: Karlos Zurutuza
Life has gone elsewhere
The once lively bazaar in Amuda has turned into a gloomy place where just a few men gather. Many shops have folded since the Turkish invasion began, and those which remain open sell products at hardly affordable prizes due to the collapse of the Syrian currency. Shelling form the other side of the frontier usually starts at dawn, so those who remain in the town hardly venture outside at night.
Image: Karlos Zurutuza
Back in town
Coexistence between the Syrian Kurdish administration and President Bashar Assad's regime in Qamishli, the main city in the country's northeast, has been tense since the Syrian civil war started in 2011. The recent deal between the two sides involves a redeployment of Syrian troops along the Turkish border. It is unclear who will be in control of the region in the short term.
Image: Karlos Zurutuza
Fighting on two fronts
While Kurdish combat units fight against the Turkish army and Ankara-backed militants, it's still unclear what the Syrian Kurdish fighters' status will be since reaching out to Assad for support. "We will keep controlling the area as we've done until today, there will be no substantial changes other than a joint command in certain border areas," officials told DW.
Image: Karlos Zurutuza
Uncertainty reigns
Syrian Kurds feel betrayed since the US president decided to pull out all remaining troops. Many told DW they felt relief that the Kurdish fighters had struck a deal with the Syrian regime to control the border areas as it could prevent Turkey from attacking their villages. "We know what Trump did to us, but we still know nothing about Putin's intentions," said Massud, a barbershop customer.
Image: Karlos Zurutuza
'I would rather not speak'
After decades of brutal repression under the Assads, many residents in Derik refused to comment on the possible consequences of the regime's comeback to an area that has enjoyed de facto self-rule for several years. "The whole country was controlled by the secret services back then, and it may happen again soon, so no one will dare to talk to you about it," one person said.
Image: Karlos Zurutuza
Five more lost
All over Syria's northeast residents have had to deal corpses arriving daily from the frontlines. Turkish air strikes have hit both military targets and civilians so that many hospitals caring for wounded fighters, such as the one in Derik, have been evacuated to avoid further casualties.
Image: Karlos Zurutuza
Deaths mount
The Syrian Kurds claim to have lost around 11,000 people in the fight against the so-called Islamic State. Although IS has lost control over territory of any significant size, the killing continues. Dozens of civilians and hundreds of fighters have reportedly been killed since Turkey launched its attack on Syria's northeast.
Image: Karlos Zurutuza
Left on their own
The Kurds in Syria opted to side neither with the regime nor the opposition after the civil war broke out in 2011. Now they stand alone, besieged and with no one to back them since their American allies withdrew.
