Turkish-led bombardment in and around the northeast Syria town of Ras al-Ayn is putting a five-day truce into question. The deal, brokered by the US and Turkey, is meant to allow Syrian Kurdish fighters to withdraw.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Suna
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Fighting continued on Friday between Turkey and Kurdish forces along a section of Syria's northeast border, despite a US-brokered cease-fire that went into effect overnight.
A spokesman for the Kurdish-led militia alliance said the border town of Ras al-Ayn remained besieged and was being attacked by Turkey and its allied rebel forces.
"Despite the agreement to halt the fighting, [Turkish] air and artillery attacks continue to target the positions of fighters [and] civilian settlements," Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) spokesman Mustafa Bali said.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitoring group, said at least 14 civilians were killed in Turkish airstrikes and mortar fire by allied Syrian rebels on and around the village of Bab al-Kheir. Eight SDF fighters were also killed, it said.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan later disputed reports of fighting and threatened to continue a military offensive if the US-Turkey agreement failed to hold.
"If it fails, the operation ... will start the minute 120 hours are over," he said.
Washington and Ankara on Thursday agreed to the temporary truce in Turkey's week-old offensive against Kurdish fighters in northeastern Syria, who were once Washington's ally.
Ankara seeks to push back the YPG, a Kurdish militia at the heart of the SDF, which it deems a terrorist group because of its links to Kurdish insurgents in Turkey.
Thursday's deal envisions Kurdish fighters vacating a swath of border territory inside Syria, which would largely solidify the position Ankara's forces have gained after 10 days of fighting.
The SDF has said it will abide by the cease-fire along a section of the border between Ras al-Ayn and Tal Abyad to its west, where most of the fighting has taken place.
Turkey's operation was dealt a setback when the YPG called for the support of Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces, aiding their return to the northeastern border area. Russian forces backing the Assad regime have also moved into the area, potentially putting the brakes on how far Ankara can advance with its plans.
Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin are to meet at the Black Sea city of Sochi on October 22, when the 120-hour truce ends.
US President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw American troops from northern Syria paved the way for Turkey's long-threatened offensive.
Critics say the US decision amounted to abandoning loyal Kurdish allies that fought for years alongside American forces against the "Islamic State" (IS) group.
Who are the major players in northern Syria?
The US withdrawal of troops from Kurdish-controlled northeast Syria and the launch of the Turkish offensive have created a complicated web of actors, from Russia to Syrian government troops.
Image: picture-alliance/ZUMAPRESS/Staff Sgt. A. Goedl
US: Troop pullback
Over the past years, US troops have supported Kurdish fighters as they battled radical "Islamic State" (IS) militants to take back control of large areas of northern Syria. In what was seen as a surprising turnaround, US President Donald Trump announced in early October that he was withdrawing US troops from the region's border with Turkey. This pullback left a vacuum for others to act and react.
Image: picture-alliance/ZUMAPRESS/Staff Sgt. A. Goedl
Turkey: Anti-Kurdish offensive
Trump's troop withdrawal was a de-facto go-ahead for Turkey to launch an offensive into northeast Syria. The region is home to a largely autonomous Kurdish population and Kurdish militants known as the YPG, who are tied to an outlawed Kurdish party in Turkey. Turkey, who has faced a Kurdish insurgency, sees the Syrian Kurds as a threat to its security, hence the military action.
Image: picture-alliance/AA/M. Akif Parlak
Kurdish YPG: Fighting Turkish forces
The YPG was one of the US' main allies in the fight to drive out IS from north Syria, but since October it has been fighting the Turkish forces that crossed into Syria. The YPG lacks strong air capabilities and defenses, putting it at a decided disadvantage in comparison to the Turkish army.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/G. Souleiman
SDF: Betrayed by the US
The YPG is the largest component of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which also includes Arab and Christian militias. The SDF, which fought IS, controls northeastern Syria and feels betrayed by the US pullback. It is now fighting Turkish troops and their allies. It has warned that the Turkish offensive could distract from making sure IS fighters do not renew their strength in Syria.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/D. Souleiman
Syrian government army: Deal made
The relationship between Syrian President Bashar Assad's troops and the SDF is a tricky one that shifts between cooperation, live-and-let-live and skirmishes, depending on the current situation. After Turkey launched its offensive, the Kurds struck a deal with the government that saw Syrian troops mobilized to fight the Turkish forces, allowing them to enter a region they had ceded to the SDF.
Image: picture-alliance/Photoshot
Russia: Stepping up, stepping in
Russia has consistently backed the government of Syrian President Assad (L, with Putin in 2018) and assisted its forces. After US troops pulled out of the Kurdish areas, Russia moved its troops in to act as a buffer for Syrian government forces advancing towards the Turkish army. Moscow wants Syria to remain united and has accused the US of creating parallel structures in the Kurdish region.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/M. Klimentyev
SNA: Turkey's Syrian allies
Turkey also has allies among Syrian fighters. The Syrian National Army (SNA), also known as the Free Syrian Army, is a Syrian rebel group that has fought against the SDF and Assad's government. Backed by Turkey, SNA fighters took part in previous Turkish offensives against Kurdish militias inside Syria. Currently, thousands of SNA fighters are fighting the YPG alongside Turkish forces.
Image: picture-alliance/AA/B. Kasim
IS: A renewed role?
One possible future actor is IS. While it was essentially defeated in March 2019, tens of thousands of its fighters and their families remain in prisons or guarded camps in the Kurdish area of the country. Nearly a thousand alone have already escaped from a camp that was caught in the fighting between Kurdish militias and Turkish forces. Should the situation grow more unstable, IS could regroup.
