Turkish Warplanes Strike U.S.-Backed Kurdish Positions in Northwest Syria

Turkish airstrikes targeted U.S.-backed Kurdish forces in Syria on Wednesday, Reuters reported.

The airstrikes on the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of Kurdish and Arab forces fighting the so-called Islamic State (ISIS), are the heaviest yet since Turkey launched its operations in Syria two months ago. The Turkish military confirmed it had targeted positions of the Kurdish YPG militia, the main force within the SDF.

The U.S. has supported the SDF, angering its NATO partner, who sees the Kurdish-led forces as an extension of Turkey’s own Kurdish insurgency, which has battled for autonomy since the 1980s.

“From now on we will not wait for problems to come knocking on our door, we will not wait until the blade is against our bone and skin, we will not wait for terrorist organizations to come and attack us,” Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan said in a speech on Wednesday.

Turkey launched “Operation Euphrates Shield” in August, to push back ISIS militants from its border, as well as to halt Kurdish ambitions of unifying their three enclaves in northern Syria. The SDF has been moving toward al-Bab, the last significant ISIS stronghold in northwest Syria, which Turkish-backed rebels also want to capture. Yesterday’s airstrikes hit YPG positions 19 miles (30km) west of al-Bab, according to the United Kingdom-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

“Turkey is backing I.S. [Islamic State/ISIS] by targeting our areas with artillery in corporation with rebels factions,” a YPG statement to the SOHR read, according to the Kurdish media network Rudaw.

Residents and Rebels Should Evacuate Aleppo, Syrian Military Says

The Syrian army called on besieged residents of eastern Aleppo to evacuate on Thursday, during a Russian-backed cease-fire, Reuters reported.

Two exit corridors leading out of the rebel-held districts of the city were opened, according to Syrian state media. Military loudspeakers near the corridors guaranteed evacuees a safe exit, in live footage broadcast on the pro-Syrian government Lebanese channel Mayadeen.

“Seize the opportunity and save your families,” said the army loudspeaker. “An appeal to our people … we will extend every help from shelters to hot dishes and facilities that offer you medical treatment.”

The army broadcaster also addressed the rebels, asking them to drop their weapons, saying “this is your last chance.”

Rebels have criticized the unilateral cease-fire, saying its aim is to empty the city of its residents so the government and their Russian backers can take control of the area. The cease-fire has also been criticized by the U.N., who said unilateral cease-fires should allow humanitarian assistance for residents who do not wish to leave.

Russia Joins Syria Talks in Geneva to Separate Rebels from Extremists in Aleppo

Russia has joined talks in Geneva on how to separate armed opposition groups from extremists in Aleppo, Reuters reported.

“I urge Russia to sit at this table in Geneva and be serious about finding a simple way, which we are offering, to make sure that those who are genuinely terrorists are in fact separated out, isolated,” U.S. secretary of state John Kerry said at a press conference in Washington.

The talks include Qatar and Saudi Arabia, two strong backers of the armed Syrian opposition, but do not include Iran, a main ally of the Syrian government.

Saudi Arabia and Qatar have influence over rebel groups to push al-Qaida-affiliated fighters out of Aleppo and towards Idlib, said Staffan de Mistura, U.N. special envoy for Syria, and therefore “take away any alleged justification, or alibi, for the heavy bombing of urban areas of eastern Aleppo.”

Recommended Reads:

• The New York Times: How the Battle for Aleppo Is Taking Syria’s War to a New Low
• The Washington Post: Trump Has No Idea What’s Going on in Syria
• War On The Rocks: The Perplexing Problems of Solving Syria
• The Guardian: Iran ‘Wanted Egypt at Syria Talks’ as Middle Eastern Alliances Shift
• The Wall Street Journal: U.S. Builds Force to Retake Islamic State’s Syrian Headquarters