Less than twenty-four hours after the entry of the Russian army into northern Syria, Syrian Kurdish forces left on Thursday, October 24 positions they had held for years along the border with Turkey. The Russian-Turkish agreement, signed Tuesday, provided for their departure, thus putting an end to their dreams of autonomy.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH), the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance led by Kurdish fighters, left Thursday several positions in the east of the country, near the border.
"The SDS has withdrawn from positions between Derbassiyeh and Amouda, in the region of Hassake," said the director of the OSDH, AFP.
The Russian army continues its patrols that began Wednesday along the border, filling the void left by the sudden withdrawal of US troops from this sector of northern Syria.
Ally of Moscow, the regime of Damascus also deployed its troops in the area, the Russian-Turkish agreement allowing President Bashar al-Assad to reinvest a large part of the territory that escaped him.
On the other hand, according to Rami Abdel Rahman, fighters of the Kurdish militia of the People's Protection Units (YPG, the main component of the SDS, considered "terrorist" by Ankara) remain present in many points of the Syrian-Turkish border strip. extends in total about 440 km.
"Without firing a shot"
The Kurds, who had established autonomy in the north and north-east of Syria as a result of the conflict, are worried about Turkish armed retaliation and forced displacement of people to allow the return of some of the 3 , 6 million Syrian refugees fled to Turkey.
"Turkey's goal is to kill, drive out the Kurds and place them under occupation," an official of the Kurdish administration in Qamichli, the only major Kurdish-controlled city, told AFP on Wednesday. of the agreement on the border area.
The situation also greatly benefits President Assad, who "recovers one third of its territory without firing a shot," says AFP Fabrice Balanche, a specialist in Syria.
The Damascus regime marks a decisive point by reclaiming part of the northeast, where some of the main oil wells and fertile agricultural areas are located.
A meeting of NATO nations is scheduled for Thursday, the first since Turkey launched its military offensive against the Kurds on 9 October. The organization is to discuss a German initiative to create a "security zone under international control" in northern Syria.
With AFP