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Last October, the Turkish army carried out an operation against the Kurdish militias in Syrian territory which caused a wind of panic among the inhabitants. Two months after the offensive, an update on the situation on the dividing line between the Turks and the Syrians.
With our special envoy to Syrian Kurdistan,
On the line between the Turks and the Syrians, we can speak of a very precarious calm. The fighting that took place during the month of October between the Turks on the one hand, and the Kurdish soldiers supported by Bashar al-Assad's troops on the other, is in principle ended. But at night, we still hear regular exchanges of fire.
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In the famous " safety zone " of Recep Tayiip Erdogan, 4000 km2 of Syrian territory where militias from Ankara are stationed, the villages are empty. 200,000 people who lived on the border with Turkey fled south to escape the advance of militias from Ankara. For the Turkish president, the stated objective was to drive out the Kurdish fighters, terrorists according to him, from his border. This objective is only partially achieved, since President Erdogan's militias now occupy only part of the border area. The rest are still in the hands of the Kurdish forces.
Serious setback for the Kurdish forces
On the side of Syrian Kurdistan officials, we veil our faces, at least in front of the journalists. They say they will eventually recover their land, but the Kurdish population is rather fatalistic. Because against the Turkish army, a very powerful army, the Kurdish militias had to call for help the troops of Bashar al-Assad.
The regime forces, which had deserted Syrian Kurdistan, are again stationed in the region. Their departure eight years ago enabled the Kurds to establish an autonomous administration in Damascus. Their return in fact signals the end of this autonomy, the end of a dream too: that of an independent Syrian Kurdistan .
Finally, the big winner of the Westerners' departure and the real winner of the Turkish offensive is undoubtedly the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. While he is subduing the rebels, in the west of the country, in the city of Idleb, the dictator gradually regains control of the northeast held so far by the Kurds. The population therefore has little reason to be optimistic.
Hatred against Turks, anger against Westerners
People are very angry with the Turks. We can even speak of a deep hatred. The militias supported by Turkey are systematically assimilated to the jihadists of the Islamic State organization (IS) and President Erdogan is compared to their former leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi .
As for the Westerners with whom they fought on the front line against the Islamic State group, and who now let them down, the Kurds are more measured. But they feel abandoned. Everyone knows that without Donald Trump's decision to withdraw his troops from northeastern Syria, Turkey would never have been able to attack the area. The dream of an independent Syrian Kurdistan would always be at hand, then.
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