With the start of the Turkish operation .. Displacement and cautious welcome among the Arab population east of the Euphrates

Adnan Hussein - Syrian-Turkish border

The intensification of fighting east of the Euphrates a day after the start of the Turkish military operation, led to a large displacement of the Arab and Kurdish population from the villages and border towns, and most families began saving food and supplies for fear of continuing the fighting for a long time, while a number of Arab residents cautiously welcomed the operation.

This comes as Turkish and Syrian opposition forces continue their incursion into several border axes since the early hours of Thursday morning, as they were able to control several positions and strategic points between and around the cities of Tel Abyad and Ras al-Ain, northeastern Syria.

The incursion of Turkish and opposition forces comes in light of the continuous aerial bombardment and artillery of Turkey since the start of the military operation "spring of peace" on Wednesday afternoon, has led to the destruction of a number of strategic sites of the Syrian Democratic Forces, which is the Kurdish Protection Units main component.

Sources of Al Jazeera Net said that a large number of the Arab population in the border areas went to the cities and towns of the province of Raqqa, away from the border, while others were displaced towards the city of Manbij in the eastern countryside of Aleppo amid great fear for their properties in their towns and villages from which they were displaced.

High prices
The prices of food and supplies have risen markedly with the start of the military operation, and the movement of buying and selling has become virtually non-existent in the areas of northern Raqqa, northern al-Hasakah and the northeastern countryside of Aleppo, where most people depend on trade and agriculture, according to sources.

Residents of these areas fear that the cotton and sesame crops, some of which have begun to be harvested, will be depressed and forced to leave as the military operation begins.

Farmer Mohammed al-Abed, 60, told Al Jazeera Net that he was able to harvest half of the cotton crop and the other half remained. He was confused whether he would return to complete a pound or leave him, as would the rest of the peasants in those areas.

Cautious optimism
As the military operation began, a number of Arab residents in northeastern Syria were cautiously optimistic, saying it would rid them of abuses by the SDF, while residents of the Kurdish component expressed fears that the operation would hand over their cities to the Syrian regime.

In this regard, says the human rights and civil Mohammed al-Ahmad from the city of Manbij to the island Net "The SDF went further in harassing civilians, and created a racist tendency between local components of Arabs, Kurds and others, and narrowed them in their livelihood and livelihood, so that the Arab needs a Kurdish partner in order to From trade or big taxes. "

Al-Ahmad pointed out that "the two most important reasons behind the desire of the Arab population to end the rule of these forces despite their good services, is forced recruitment, which is rejected by all the people there, and the other hit Arab values, customs and traditions and try to dilute them, and forced them to go out in demonstrations and marches in support of them, as well as Kidnapping and killing. "

"We are hoping for better and more support for this operation. What do we want more than returning to our homes and towns that we have been deprived of from?" Said Mohammed Hoshan, a displaced person from the town of Shuyukh, which the SDF has controlled for several years and has prevented the return of some 50,000 civilians. .

He adds to the island Net that "no one wants to war, but the forces of democratic Syria, has committed atrocities against the Arabs of displacement, arrest and recruitment, without regard to popular rejection of these violations, and now harvest what they planted."

Fear of delivery area to order
From a different point of view, the people of Tabqa, Raqqa and Manbij cities fear that they will surrender their cities to the Syrian regime, following reports that Kurdish forces are demanding the regime to protect the territory it controls from the Turkish attack.

Ahmed al-Ali, a 33-year-old teacher from Tabqa, questioned Turkey's seriousness in controlling all or most of the SDF areas, believing the latter, after being deceived by America, would hand over areas to the Syrian regime if the United States gave up its protection there.

He told Al-Jazeera Net yesterday that "fierce clashes took place in the center of the city of Raqqa and lasted for hours, later turned out to be an attack by members of the Islamic State on the positions of Kurdish forces, but we thought that the regime stormed Raqqa in light of rumors on social media.

"What scares us the most as Arabs and non-Arabs in the SDF areas is the return of the Assad regime to control of our precious and liberated areas."

Hajj Saeed agrees with Ali, who believes that leaving the region up for grabs for the regime is a very big catastrophe, and that the livelihoods of the people will be looted again after they regained part of their lives in Raqqa and elsewhere.

"We were expecting this operation as the SDF provocations against Turkey continued in different ways," he told Al Jazeera Net. "But we thought America could engage Turkey and opposition factions in controlling the region and avoid battles, the biggest losers being civilians."

The residents of the Kurdish component live in a state of fear, tension and anxiety about the Turkish military operation, following the rumors published by the media of the Syrian Democratic Forces, in addition to the violations that took place in the city of Afrin after the operation "olive branch"; but assurances by the Syrian opposition and the Turkish army For civilians in those areas eased the fears of the population.