The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have condemned Washington's decision to withdraw forces from Syria. Turkey has threatened to rout Kurdish militia who played a leading role in fighting the "Islamic State."
Image: Getty Images/AFP/D. Souleiman
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In a strongly worded statement, the Syrian Democratic Forces said the US withdrawal of its forces from Syria would have dangerous repercussions.
The announcement by US President Donald Trump has rattled Kurdish leaders, who fear it could help the self-styled "Islamic State" (IS) to regain a foothold. They also expressed concern about Turkey, which had threatened to rout Kurdish forces east of the Euphrates River.
"It was a surprising, and shocking step that leaves a bitter taste in the mouth of all Syrians, especially the Kurds," SDF media director Mustafa Bali told DW. "It is not compatible with the course the Americans signed up to in the war on terror."
The SDF said it would continue to fight IS in eastern Syria, but that they would freeze operations in the event of an attack by Turkey.
"We fought before the Americans arrived in northern Syria, and we'll fight after they withdraw," Bali said. "We battle terrorism due to ethical principles and the conviction that everyone in northern Syria is threatened by terror."
Turkey plans rout of militia
Turkey views the Kurdish People's Protection Units, or YPG — which form the main component of the SDF — to be an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), classed as a terrorist group by Turkey and several Western allies. US forces have, until now, served as a buffer between Turkey and the militia.
The SDF also hinted that the US pullout, which many see as a betrayal of a loyal ally, could make Syria's autonomous Kurdish administration less likely to keep its IS prisoners in custody.
"If Turkey attacks, it will affect the fate of these prisoners," SDF spokesman Mustefa Bali told the AFP news agency. "Turkey may target these prisons as it tries to release these terrorists."
Turkey has vowed to move against Kurdish forces east of the Euphrates, with Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar on Friday saying the militia would be "buried in their ditches."
"The biggest benefactor of this decision is [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan," Rami Abdel Rahman, who runs the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told DW. "The US has decided to make Turkey's day."
"Turkey was able to play several cards wisely of late, such as the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the continued presence of jihadi groups in Syria," Rahman continued. "But the US withdrawal won't just plunge the country further into chaos, it will also intensify the ethnic tensions between Arabs and Kurds."
Rahman also told DW that roughly 1,500 active IS fighters were still present in the region, plus thousands of sleeper cells. He said that the Kurds' options were limited: either seek closer alliances with European powers like the UK, France and Germany, or consider allowing Bashar Assad's forces into the region to dissuade Turkey from military action.
US President Donald Trump announced the pullout of the US-led operations in Syria in a tweet on Wednesday, to the surprise of European allies.
"Since the beginning of the civil war in Syria, the Kurds have fought successfully against the so-called Islamic State," he said, adding that they had sustained thousands of casualties. "The withdrawal is wrong. It will destabilize the situation. IS has not been smashed."
"The withdrawal of US troops from the region would open up the way for Erdogan and his troops," said Tanriverdi, citing Turkey's occupation of the previously Kurdish-held town of Afrin earlier this year.
Such an occupation, said Tanriverdi, would create "thousands upon thousands" of refugees.
Kurds protest Turkey's Afrin offensive during Newroz celebrations
Newroz festivities in Turkey's largest Kurdish-majority city, Diyarbakir, were marked by anger and frustration over Ankara's military operation in Afrin and the international community's inaction. Diego Cupolo reports.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Newroz marked with protest
Newroz, the Kurdish and Persian New Year, is an ancient festival that marks the Spring Equinox. Though normally a time for celebration, this year’s festivities were marked with anger and protest over the Turkish government's ongoing military operations in Afrin, Syria, where Ankara-backed militias have been conducting an offensive on the enclave of Kurdish militants since January 20, 2018.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Crowd filled with pride, frustration
This year's festival came just days after Turkish-backed militias took the city of Afrin, scoring a major victory against Kurdish militants who have largely been pushed out of northwestern Syria. In response, attendees of Newroz celebrations in Diyarbakir, Turkey's largest Kurdish-majority city, chanted pro-Kurdish slogans such as "Long live the Afrin resistance."
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
'This is not just a celebration, it’s resistance'
"There's never been an easy time to celebrate Newroz, but the people who come here are sending a message," said Aynur Asan, member of the Kurdish-led Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) council. "It's a salute to liberated Kurdish areas, but it's also a message to those who have given up on Kurds. This is not just a celebration, it's resistance."
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
'Barbarism and looting'
Pervin Buldan, the new HDP co-chair, addressed the crowd in Diyarbakir with criticism of Turkey's Operation in Afrin. "They did not bring anything to Afrin other than barbarism and looting," she said. "They attacked Afrin because of their intolerance to the gains of the Kurds." She went on to say Ankara could not break the bond between Kurds in Turkey and Syria.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Afrin's rightful owners
Throughout the Afrin offensive, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said the area would be liberated from Kurdish terrorists and returned to its rightful owners. In response, Hisyar Ozsoy, deputy chair of the HDP's foreign affairs, said: "Afrin belongs to the people of Afrin, the majority of whom are Kurdish … what Erdogan is trying to do is ethnic engineering."
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Criticism of EU inaction
"When we go to the West, we see schools and factories. When you come here, what do you see other than prisons and police and tanks?" asked a member of the Peace Mothers, a group of women who've lost children in ongoing conflicts, during a meeting with EU delegates prior to Newroz. "You have not put Erdogan on trial."
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Ongoing state of emergency
Wednesday's Newroz celebration-turned-protest was a rare display of dissent in Turkey, where political gatherings have been banned under a state of emergency that has been in effect since the failed coup attempt in July 2016. In addition, Diyarbakir was under round-the-clock curfew during military operations, in which Turkish forces eradicated Kurdish militants from the city center.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Dwindling attendance
Following urban warfare that gripped much of Diyarbakir's city center between 2015 and 2016, many of the city's citizens have shied away from public events such as Newroz. Pictured above, members of local Kurdish groups distribute invitations to Newroz in the Diyarbakir's historic center in an effort to encourage people to join the festivities.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
'No matter how much pressure they face'
Selma Atabey, a representative for the Health and Social Service Workers Union (SES), said more than 4,300 members of her union lost their jobs in Turkey's post-coup crackdown, but many still came out for the festivities. "Newroz is a time when Kurds can express their existence here. No matter how much pressure they face, they will celebrate Newroz," she said.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Festivities cut short
The gathering in Diyarbakir ended abruptly on Wednesday, after younger attendees jumped security fences and rushed the stage. Police called for the celebrations to be cut short, but lingering groups continued to play drums and dance. "They always stop us early, but we enjoy ourselves as much as we can," said Nurettin, a male who gave only his first name.
