DAMASCUS, Oct 6 (NNN-SANA) – The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and allied Kurdish groups are on alert, in areas under their control in northern Syria, fearing a Turkish military campaign in the region.
The SDF and the Kurdish military councils are on alert amid “suspicious” Turkish military moves, just hundreds of metres on the Turkish side of the border, from the Kurdish-controlled town of Ayn al-Arab in the north of Aleppo province, in northern Syria, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The Britain-based watchdog group said, Kurdish forces fear of a Turkish military campaign in Syria’s eastern Euphrates River region, and Kurdish-held areas in northern Syria, just a day after Turkish-backed rebels merged under the umbrella of the so-called National Army rebel formation.
On Friday, so-called “moderate” Turkish-backed rebel groups came together, under the umbrella of the National Army, in what was seen as a move by Turkey, to isolate the al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front and its umbrella group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), as part of a deal with Russia, to eliminate all terror-labelled groups in northern Syria.
While Russia, a key ally of the Syrian government, deems the Nusra Front as a terror group, and Turkey also deems the Kurdish-led groups as terrorists, which sparked fears among the Kurdish forces that their turn might come amid the Turkish military moves.
On Saturday, Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, unleashed his strongest warning yet, threatening to launch a military operation against the U.S.-backed Kurdish militia groups in northeastern Syria.
The Kurdish-controlled areas also contain U.S. troops, amid U.S. efforts to defuse the tension between Turkey and the Kurdish militiamen.
In his speech yesterday, Erdogan said, the deal with the U.S., to secure the border with Turkey was faltering.
For its side, the SDF warned against a Turkish military campaign in northern Syria, saying that, any Turkish military campaign would open the way for a massive war and undermine the security situation in northern Syria, according to the observatory.
Turkey sees the Kurdish People’s Protection Units and its SDF as separatists and terrorists, citing their links with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which is listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU.
The Kurdish militia forces have been controlling areas in northern Syria since the early years of the crisis, in order to force Damascus to recognise a federal rule or autonomy for the Kurds in northern Syria.
However, Syrian government officials repeatedly said that Kurdish federalisation in Syria or self-rule is out of the question.– NNN-SANA