Turkish-backed Arab forces fighting a Kurdish militia in northern Syria are preparing a new front after admitting that initial attacks across the border have become bogged down.
Turkish tanks and forces ostensibly from the Free Syrian Army (FSA) began an assault on Afrin on Sunday. More tanks and special forces have been thrown forward but have faced fierce resistance by the YPG. The Kurdish militia is battle-hardened after a long fight against Islamic State, while in the form the organisation takes across the border in Turkey, the PKK, it has had years of experience in insurgency.
A leader of the FSA fighters said that his men were planning an advance from inside Syria. That would target villages around Tal Rifaat, a majority Arab town once a headquarters of the uprising against the Assad regime, which was seized by the YPG in 2016.
“The bad weather is not helping the fighters to move freely,” said Colonel Ahmed Othman, the FSA commander. “The PKK terrorists had been fortifying their positions. They have well-trained snipers with high-tech equipment and they had planted too many landmines in the front lines.”
He said that there were fortified front lines around Tal Rifaat, south of the main border crossing. “I think the attack will take place in the coming days when the weather is better.”
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The Turkish assault has killed scores on both sides and more than 30 civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Among them are seven women YPG fighters, according to reports.
Turkish politicians and newspapers claimed that more than 300 “terrorists” had been “neutralised”, and played down losses among Syrian Arabs they are supporting. They have announced the deaths of two Turkish servicemen.
On the ground, they have been confined to four small border footholds.
The Kurdish administration in the Afrin region said last night: “We call on the Syrian state to carry out its sovereign obligations towards Afrin and protect its borders with Turkey from attacks of the Turkish occupier . . . and deploy its armed forces to secure the borders of the Afrin area.”
The Pentagon said that it was in talks with Turkey about the possibility of creating a security zone in northwest Syria.
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The Turkish-led attack has divided the international community. Russia has been a longtime friend of the YPG but has been forging closer ties with Turkey, which is determined to eliminate what it sees as a key support base for the PKK. Russia withdrew servicemen from Afrin before the attack.
The US has also been caught on both sides. It has infuriated its old ally Turkey by supporting the YPG as part of the fight against Isis.
Relations sank to a new low yesterday when the White House said that in a phone call President Trump issued a strongly worded warning to President Erdogan to “de-escalate, limit military actions and avoid civilian casualties”. Turkish officials said that this did not accurately reflect the call. “He urged Turkey to exercise caution and to avoid any actions that might risk conflict between Turkish and US forces,” a statement said.
Nato officials have defended Turkey’s right to defend itself but there is sympathy for the YPG, made stronger by dissatisfaction with Mr Erdogan’s authoritarian leadership.
