More Fighters to Join Afrin Front: Syriac Military Council to Send Reinforcements by Wladimir Van Wilgenburg - 29/01/2018 12:46

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

www.theregion.org More fighters to join Afrin front: Syriac Military Council to send reinforcements by Wladimir van Wilgenburg - 29/01/2018 12:46 Syriac Military Council (SMC) on Monday said they will send more fighters to the Afrin front. “MFS will send fighters to the Afrin front in support of SDF-YPG/J to the defense of the region and populations against Turkey and allied forces,” the Syriac Military Council said on Monday. Syriac Military Council is a Christian Syriac military organisation in Syria established in 8 January 2013 in the Hasakah province and is part of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and also fought against ISIS in Raqqa. Also the Al-Jazeera region Youth Council announced on Sunday in the city of Qamishli it would join the battle. “National duty imposes us to exist in the fields of struggle and resistance against the Turkish occupation state.” Moreover, a group of foreign volunteers on Friday arrived in Afrin to fight the Turkish intervention. “We’ve been fighting against ISIS terrorism for years. No one should expect us to stay silent when the territories saved from ISIS with blood is being invaded,” the fighters said. The US-led coalition said it’s monitoring if US-backed Syrian fighters are going from eastern Syria through the regime-controlled road from Manbij to Afrin. Pentagon's Joint Staff Director Lt. Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr. told reporters on Thursday that no fighters have left yet to Afrin. “Not yet, we'll watch that closely. That goes back to the issue of Afrin, the degree to which operations in Afrin changed the focus from why we're there, which is the defeat of ISIS in the Euphrates River Valley, is the degree to which it's counter-productive to the campaign,” he said. “So, any reasonable person could suspect there's pressure rising for that, and we'll watch that closely and that is a dangerous thing, and we need to keep our focus on why we're there, which is the defeat of ISIS,” he added..

Copy Link

Recommended publications

Offensive Against the Syrian City of Manbij May Be the Beginning of a Campaign to Liberate the Area Near the Syrian-Turkish Border from ISIS
June 23, 2016 Offensive against the Syrian City of Manbij May Be the Beginning of a Campaign to Liberate the Area near the Syrian-Turkish Border from ISIS Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters at the western entrance to the city of Manbij (Fars, June 18, 2016). Overview 1. On May 31, 2016, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a Kurdish-dominated military alliance supported by the United States, initiated a campaign to liberate the northern Syrian city of Manbij from ISIS. Manbij lies west of the Euphrates, about 35 kilometers (about 22 miles) south of the Syrian-Turkish border. In the three weeks since the offensive began, the SDF forces, which number several thousand, captured the rural regions around Manbij, encircled the city and invaded it. According to reports, on June 19, 2016, an SDF force entered Manbij and occupied one of the key squares at the western entrance to the city. 2. The declared objective of the ground offensive is to occupy Manbij. However, the objective of the entire campaign may be to liberate the cities of Manbij, Jarabulus, Al-Bab and Al-Rai, which lie to the west of the Euphrates and are ISIS strongholds near the Turkish border. For ISIS, the loss of the area is liable to be a severe blow to its logistic links between the outside world and the centers of its control in eastern Syria (Al-Raqqah), Iraq (Mosul). Moreover, the loss of the region will further 112-16 112-16 2 2 weaken ISIS's standing in northern Syria and strengthen the military-political position and image of the Kurdish forces leading the anti-ISIS ground offensive.
[Show full text]
Syriac Christians on “Genocide Watch”
Syriac Christians on “Genocide Watch” Our people, the Syriacs (Chaldean-Assyrian-Aramean), as well as the Armenian people are the grandchildren of the survivors of the Ottoman Turkish Genocide that happened in 1915. On the 10th of October 2019, the Turkish army invaded our lands and attacked our people using former ISIS, Al Qaeda and other radical Islamic fighters. These fighters, which are paid by NATO ally Turkey, have committed human rights abuses, declared they will ethnically cleanse the area and support the same ideology as groups like ISIS. Despite the relative stability of the area due to the SDF and International Coalition Forces fighting to destroy and keep all radical groups out of this area of Syria, Turkey has now allowed them to enter freely and furthermore has armed and paid 1 these radical Islamic fighters. Initially, when the Islamic State fighters attacked our homes in NE Syria they succeeded to take control of towns such as Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa, the villages of Khabour and Tal Abyad. This led to a large migration of Christians and the decrease of their numbers. Whereas the population in this area east of the Euphrates was about 300’000, now there are about 100’000. We are distributed all along the very same border areas (from Derik till Kobane) that Turkey wishes to occupy and expel all the residents in order to replace them with Syrian refugees mostly from other areas inside Syria. Turkey plans to ethnically cleans our towns such as Derik, al-Qamishli, al-Hassaka and Tel Tamer villages of Khabour region.
[Show full text]
Syria SITREP 2015 Feb 10-17 V2
Syria Situation Report: February 17-23, 2015 1 February 17 – 24: JN, Jaysh al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar, the Sham Front, and a number of 6 February 20: A delegation of regime supporters from Palmyra allegedly ew from other rebel groups recaptured the villages of Rityan, Duweir al-Zeitoun, and Herdetnin north of Damascus to Tehran in order to discuss unspecied 'transactions' with Iranian Aleppo city following heavy clashes with pro-regime forces who seized the villages on February ocials. Activists alleged that IRGC forces are using Palmyra as a 'logistical base' for 17. At least thirty pro-regime ghters were detained after surrendering to rebel forces, while the training of NDF forces. activists reported that regime forces had executed forty-nine 7 February 22 - 24: people including women and children during their brief YPG forces backed control over the villages. On February 20, JN and rebel Qamishli by the “Syriac ghters also seized the majority of the nearby village Ayn al-Arab Ras al-Ayn Military Council” of al-Mallah, which had previously been held by the 10 7 regime. Clashes continue along the outskirts of the 1 12 and anti-ISIS coalition regime-held villages of Bashkwi and Handarat. air support advanced to Hasakah within ve kilometers of the Aleppo ISIS stronghold of Tel Hamis Idlib Sara 2 February 18 – 19: JN and Ahrar southeast of Qamishli, seizing at least 30 al-Sham, along with several Islamist ar-Raqqa nearby villages and prompting a civilian and FSA-aliated rebel brigades, Latakia exodus to southern Hasaka Province. announced the Battle of ‘Unication 9 4 YPG ghters are reportedly providing of the Flag’ aimed at recapturing coalition forces with the coordinates of several villages and hills recently Hama ISIS targets, the same method used in seized by the regime oensive in Deir ez-Zour Ayn al-Arab.
[Show full text]
Governing Rojava Layers of Legitimacy in Syria Contents
Research Paper Rana Khalaf Middle East and North Africa Programme | December 2016 Governing Rojava Layers of Legitimacy in Syria Contents Summary 2 Acronyms and Overview of Key Listed Actors 3 Introduction 5 PYD Pragmatism and the Emergence of ‘Rojava’ 8 Smoke and Mirrors: The PYD’s Search for Legitimacy Through Governance 10 1. Provision of security 12 2. Effectiveness in the provision of services 16 3. Diplomacy and image management 21 Conclusion: The Importance of Local Trust and Representation 24 About the Author 26 Acknowledgments 27 1 | Chatham House Governing Rojava: Layers of Legitimacy in Syria Summary • Syria is without functioning government in many areas but not without governance. In the northeast, the Democratic Union Party (PYD) has announced its intent to establish the federal region of Rojava. The PYD took control of the region following the Syrian regime’s handover in some Kurdish-majority areas and as a consequence of its retreat from others. In doing so, the PYD has displayed pragmatism and strategic clarity, and has benefited from the experience and institutional development of its affiliate organization, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The PYD now seeks to further consolidate its power and to legitimize itself through the provision of security, services and public diplomacy; yet its local legitimacy remains contested. • The provision of security is paramount to the PYD’s quest for legitimacy. Its People’s Defense Units (YPG/YPJ) have been an effective force against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), winning the support of the local population, particularly those closest to the front lines.
[Show full text]
Sdf's Arab Majority Rank Turkey As the Biggest
SDF’S ARAB MAJORITY RANK TURKEY AS THE BIGGEST THREAT TO NE SYRIA. Survey Data on America’s Partner Forces Amy Austin Holmes 2 0 1 9 Arab women from Deir Ezzor who joined the SDF after living under the Islamic State Of all the actors in the Syrian conflict, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are perhaps the most misunderstood party. Five years after the United States decided to partner with the SDF, gaping holes remain in our knowledge about the women and men who defeated the Islamic State (IS). In order to remedy the knowledge gap, I conducted the first field survey of the Syrian Democratic Forces. Through multiple visits to all of the governorates of Northeastern Syria under SDF control, I have generated new and unprecedented data, which can offer policy guidance as the United States must make decisions about how to move forward in the post-caliphate era. There are a number of reasons for the current lack of substantive information on the SDF. First, the SDF has been in a state of constant expansion ever since it was created, pro- gressively recruiting more people and capturing more territory. And, as a non-state actor, the SDF lacks the bureaucracy of national armies. Defeating the Islamic State was their priority, not collecting statistics. The SDF’s low media profile has also played a role. Perhaps wary of their status as militia leaders, high-ranking commanders have been reticent to give interviews. Recently, Gen- eral Mazlum Kobani, the Kurdish commander-in-chief of the SDF, has conducted a few interviews.1 And even less is known about the group’s rank-and-file troops.
[Show full text]
GHS Open Letter
ﻲﻧﺎﯾرﺳﻟا دﺎﺣﺗﻻا بزﺣ Party Union Syriac Open letter of Christians of Northern Syria to Christians in the US Do NOT allow Turkey to destroy us! Al-Qamishli, 23.12.2018 Dear brothers and sisters in the US, The US has been the one force that saved our people from ISIS. We are proud that we can say that we as Syriac-Assyrian Christians have fought side by side with the US. Our Syriac Military Council has been part of every battle against ISIS in North-East Syria. The reality is that we could not have won and protect our people without the US forces. Now Turkey wants to destroy all of us. 100.000 Syriac and other Christians will be killed or driven away if Turkey invades. Turkish jihadists hunted down the Christians and Yazidi’s of Afrin in Northwest Syria. They will do the same again but at a much wider scale. The very same Turkish jihadists are standing ready and are waitinG for the US to leave so that they can kill us and destroy our communities and Churches. This disaster against our people will happen while the US Army will be standinG by in Iraq at a few hours drivinG distance. Basically, the US Army will be looking on at a very short distance while Turkish-backed jihadists commit exactly the same crimes as ISIS. Our Syriac Military Council is a founding member of the Syrian Democratic Forces. The Syrian Democratic Forces and the people of North and East Syria have been loyal friends, through the hardest of times.
[Show full text]
The PKK's Fateful Choice in Northern Syria
The PKK’s Fateful Choice in Northern Syria Middle East Report N°176 | 4 May 2017 Headquarters International Crisis Group Avenue Louise 149 • 1050 Brussels, Belgium Tel: +32 2 502 90 38 • Fax: +32 2 502 50 38 [email protected] Preventing War. Shaping Peace. Table of Contents Executive Summary ................................................................................................................... i I. Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1 II. Inside the PKK’s Syria Adventure .................................................................................... 3 A. Competing Priorities .................................................................................................. 3 B. The Critical Role of PKK-trained Cadres in Northern Syria ..................................... 5 C. The PKK’s Domestication in Syria ............................................................................. 7 D. Ruling from Behind ................................................................................................... 10 III. A Military-driven Approach ............................................................................................. 12 A. Complementary Objectives, Different Priorities ....................................................... 12 B. The Unintended Consequences of Military Assistance ............................................. 13 C. More Land, More Challenges ....................................................................................
[Show full text]
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)
Genevieve Casagrande BACKGROUNDER 22 NOVEMBER 2016 THE ROAD TO AR-RAQQAH: BACKGROUND ON THE SYRIAN DEMOCRATIC FORCES The composition and behavior of the force that recaptures ar-Raqqah City will in part determine the long-term success of the U.S.-led anti-ISIS campaign in Syria. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is the U.S.’s most effective partner fighting ISIS in Syria, but it has limitations that risk undermining the gains it makes on the ground. The SDF, although dominated by the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), is not monolithic. The SDF coalition consists of Kurdish, Arab, Syriac Christian, and Turkmen groups. The U.S. built the SDF in late 2015 by recruiting a “Syrian Arab Coalition” to fight alongside the YPG and other local militias. The SDF continued to attract Arab fighters in the lead up to operations against ISIS in ar-Raqqah, including the recent inclusion of members of the Free Officer’s Union, a group of several high-ranking Syrian Arab Army defectors, in October 2016. The YPG nonetheless continues to dominate the SDF, despite increased efforts by the U.S. to diversify the coalition and recruit additional Arab fighters. The SDF remains dependent upon the YPG for logistics and experienced fighters, providing the YPG with outsized leverage within the coalition. Turkey considers the YPG to be a terrorist organization due to the group’s ties to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), placing the SDF in direct conflict with Turkey. Local Arab and Turkmen populations in northern Syria also oppose the YPG, accusing the group of “ethnic cleansing” and forcibly displacing local communities.
[Show full text]
Strange Comrades: Non-Jihadist Foreign Fighters in Iraq & Syria
STRANGE COMRADES: NON-JIHADIST FOREIGN FIGHTERS IN IRAQ & SYRIA Beleidsrapport Aantal woorden: 24.971 Simon De Craemer Stamnummer: 01004682 Promotor: Prof. dr. Marlies Casier Masterproef voorgelegd voor het behalen van de graad master in de richting Politieke Wetenschappen afstudeerrichting Internationale Politiek Academiejaar: 2016 – 2017 Table of Contents 1. List of abbreviations ............................................................................................................................................... 3 2. Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................... 4 3. Non-jihadist foreign fighters: a theoretical basis ...................................................................................... 8 4. Historical timeline ................................................................................................................................................. 13 5. Case study ................................................................................................................................................................. 21 5.1 Data collection: building a foreign fighter database .............................................................................. 21 5.2 Data analysis and results ................................................................................................................................. 24 5.3 Profiles and groups of foreign fighters .....................................................................................................
[Show full text]
The PYD's Separatiﬆ Project
The PYD’s Separatiﬆ Project in the Syrian Euphrates Region Abdullah Al-Najjar Political research Hermon Center for Contemporary Studies is a non-proﬁt organization, focused mainly on producing ﬆudies and research on the Syrian situation, implementing and managing projects, activities and initiatives to rebuild Syria on the foundations of democracy, freedom, social juﬆice, human rights, human dignity and equal citizenship values. For Contacts: e-mail: [email protected] Harmoon Center For Contemporary Studies The PYD’s Separatist Project in the Syrian Euphrates Region January 2020 Abdullah Al-Najjar Authors This study was conducted by Abdullah Al-Najjar, with the help of former col- leagues and acquaintances who assisted him in collecting and verifying the infor- mation. Three of them had submitted three background papers: two on education, and one on the oil issue. In light of the positions of these individuals where they live, we will not be disclosing their names, but would like to thank them very much. Abdullah Al-Najjar is a former officer at the Political Security Directorate, with a degree in law. He worked in Hasakeh Province for 12 years, including nine and a half years in Qamishli district, as an assistant and head of the Qamishli police station, and head of the Amuda police station. He defected from the Political Se- curity Directorate in 2012 with the rank of major. He currently works in the field of studies and research related to east of the Euphrates, and on issues related to security and the military. Harmoon Center For Contemporary
[Show full text]
Threats Perceived and Real: New Data and the Need for a New Approach to the Turkish-SDF Border Conflict
Image source: Oukase, 9 June 2018, "Wall built by Turkey on his border with Syria," CC BY-SA 4.0 (hyperlink license: https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en). Retrieved from, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Borderwall.jpg Occasional Paper Series No. 39 l May 2021 Threats Perceived and Real: New Data and the Need for a New Approach to the Turkish-SDF Border Conflict By Amy Austin Holmes INTRODUCTION of northern Syria, where Arab, Kurdish, and Syriac Christian members of the Syrian Democratic Forces The conflict between Turkey and the Kurdistan (SDF) who fought alongside the United States Workers Party (PKK) is one of the largest and to defeat ISIS, have been captured, transferred longest-running armed conflicts in the world. And illegally across the border, tried in Turkish courts, yet previous American administrations – both and sentenced to many years in Turkish prisons. Republican and Democrat – have treated it as In areas of Syria occupied by Turkey, hundreds of an issue of second-order importance. This is no thousands of civilians have been forcibly displaced longer a sustainable approach. Turkey now uses from their homes, including Arabs, Kurds, Yezidis, this conflict as a pretext to occupy a large swath Armenians and Syriacs. If these practices are not Middle East Program Occasional Paper Series No. 39 l May 2021 halted, Turkey may effectively annex a large While Turkish officials maintain that their presence swath of Syrian territory into the Turkish Republic, in Syria is temporary, official Turkish court and permanently change the demography of documents indicate that the Syrian region of Ras the region home to endangered minorities who Al-Ayn (known as Serêkaniyê in Kurdish) is treated survived ISIS.
[Show full text]
(CHI): Planning for Safeguarding Heritage Sites in Syria and Iraq1
ASOR Cultural Heritage Initiatives (CHI): Planning for Safeguarding Heritage Sites in Syria and Iraq1 NEA-PSHSS-14-001 Weekly Report 81–82 — February 17 –March 1, 2016 Michael D. Danti, Amr Al-Azm, Allison Cuneo, Susan Penacho, Bijan Rouhani, Marina Gabriel, Kyra Kaercher, Jamie O’Connell Executive Summary During the reporting period, multiple suicide bombings targeted mosques in both Iraq and Syria. Another Shia mosque in Muqdadiyah was targeted approximately six weeks following a mass targeting of mosques by ISIL militants and supporters, while a Shia mosque in Baghdad was also attacked. In Syria the Shrine of Sayyida Zainab was also attacked for the second time in less than a month. In addition to kidnapping, ransoming, and expelling Christian populations, ISIL militants have also attacked at least 19 churches in the Hasakah area of Syria since the beginning of 2015. These incidents further indicate that ISIL is advancing its pattern of terrorizing vulnerable populations, particularly ethnic and religious minorities, within its occupied regions while also directing increased efforts to accelerate sectarian tensions between Sunni and Shia in order to proliferate the conflict in Iraq. Aerial bombing campaigns continue to inflict significant damage to heritage sites throughout Syria. One mosque in Homs Governorate and three mosques in Aleppo Governorate were damaged in airstrikes. Relatedly, Day After Heritage Protection Initiative conducted a site assessment for the site of Ebla at the end of February 2016 following multiple direct hits by airstrikes to the ancient site. Between August and September 2015 The Day After Heritage Protection Initiative produced two condition reports on heritage assets in the villages of Jaradeh and Serjilla located in Idlib Governorate.
[Show full text]