Turkey has launched military operations in Syria this month, nine days after U.S. President Donald Trump announced American troops would leave the border area. Hundreds of civilians fled as Turkey launched airstrikes and artillery fire into the border area with Syria, according to CNN.
“Our aim is to destroy the terror corridor which is trying to be established on our southern border and to bring peace and peace to the region,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan tweeted Oct. 9.
The main source of conflict in the area is the strong Kurdish presence in northeast Syria near the Turkish border, which the Turks have long been unhappy about. The Kurds are of southwestern Asian ethnicity and have inhabited the area around southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Iraq and northern Syria since antiquity. Originally, they settled in the mountains of northern Mesopotamia and solidified as a people during the Middle Ages.
Turkey wants to resettle 2 million Syrian refugees in Kurdish territory in an effort to drive the Kurds away and return the refugees to their homeland.
However, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a Kurdish-led group, have been liberating many areas from terrorist group ISIS’s control. They claim the withdrawal of American forces from the area will jeopardize regional security, but they intend to defend the territory they fought to free from ISIS, according to CNN. Now, they have refocused their efforts to fight back against the Turkish attacks.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) urged Turkey to proceed with caution after Turkey launched the airstrikes, and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg wants to focus on defeating ISIS. Russian President Vladimir Putin also cautioned Turkey to not overreact or put the progress made with the Syrian crisis in peril.
Even before Turkey launched its initial attack, France said Oct. 7 it was concerned about the plans and urged Turkey not to undermine the efforts made in defeating the Islamic State.
“[It] remains a significant threat to our national security. In Syria, the organization still has significant resources and capacities for action. We call on Turkey to avoid an initiative that would run counter to the interests of the global coalition [against it],” French Foreign Ministry said in a statement, according to Bloomberg.
Erdogan warned critics against calling his campaign an “invasion” and said 109 “terrorists” were killed in the clashes Wednesday. He also tweeted the following after launching the initial attack Wednesday: “The Turkish Armed Forces, together with the Syrian National Army, just launched #OperationPeaceSpring against PKK/YPG and Daesh terrorists in northern Syria.”
According to the UN Sunday, 130,000 people have been forced to flee from the attacks on Kurdish forces. They are expecting that number to nearly triple as the fighting continues. The UN also stated it was worried about other humanitarian impacts from Turkey’s assault, which is taking place in many areas along the border.
