U.S. Concern Over Turkey's Potential 'Attack' on Areas Controlled by Syrian Kurds

Senior U.S. officials say Turkey's deployment of a large number of troops along the Syrian border, along with its allied militias, may indicate readiness to launch a 'large-scale attack' on U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish areas. On Monday, December 26, senior U.S. officials told the Wall Street Journal that the forces Turkey and its allies have stationed at the border include militias and Turkish commanders in 'civilian cover,' along with 'large artillery forces' near Kobani, a central Kurdish city in Syria adjacent to Turkey. One source cited in the report stated that a Turkish attack could begin 'at any moment.' According to the report, Turkey's troop buildup at the Syrian border, which began earlier this month alongside the advance of Syrian rebels from Idlib towards Damascus, is roughly equivalent to the number Turkey stationed at its border with northeastern Syria in 2019. One source speaking to the Wall Street Journal indicated that the U.S. government is now focused on this situation and is pressuring Turkey to exercise restraint. Donald Trump, the President-elect, mentioned in a press conference at his Florida residence on Monday that the rebels who overthrew Bashar al-Assad's regime are 'under Turkey's control.' Trump, who had previously emphasized that the U.S. should not intervene in Syria's ongoing events before the Assad regime's collapse, stated on Monday, 'No one knows who the other side (the newly empowered rulers) are, but I do; it's Turkey, Turkey was behind this (movement).' He also described Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as a smart individual who has built a powerful army, adding that Turkey has 'wanted this (control over Syria) for thousands of years, and he (Erdoğan) has achieved it. Those who have entered are under Turkey's control, and that's good (we have nothing to do with it), this is another way for Turkey to fight (to achieve its goals).' Trump emphasized that under the new circumstances, Turkey is a 'key player' in determining Syria's future and stated he has a very good relationship with Erdoğan. Meanwhile, Ilham Ahmed, a civilian Kurdish organization official in Syria, wrote a letter to Trump on Monday, referencing the imminent Turkish military invasion, urging the President-elect to pressure Erdoğan to refrain from deploying forces stationed at the border into Kurdish areas in Syria. Ahmed wrote in his letter that Turkey's goal is to establish its real control over Kurdish lands before Donald Trump's administration begins, forcing the U.S. President to engage with Turkey as the ruler of this territory. This Kurdish official warned that a Turkish military attack would have catastrophic consequences for the Kurds and could displace more than 200,000 people from Kobani. Ahmed also sent a similar warning about the fate of U.S.-allied Kurds for the Christian communities that support Donald Trump. The Turkish embassy in Washington did not respond to the Wall Street Journal's report. Hakan Fidan, Turkey's foreign minister, told Al-Hadath this week that the destruction of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) in Syria is Turkey's main objective. The YPG forces are allied with the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which played a major role in suppressing ISIS in Syria with U.S. assistance. Turkey considers the YPG to be affiliated with the PKK separatist militants and has waged an unrelenting war against them in Turkey and in Kurdish areas of northern Iraq for over three decades. On December 25, Turkish National Defense Minister Yasar Guler stated in a press conference that 'in the new era, the PKK/YPG terrorist group in Syria will be dissolved sooner or later.' He added, 'Both the new Syrian government wants this and we do too.' The firmness of Turkey's national defense and foreign ministers in their actions to 'eliminate' the YPG comes as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, during his visit to Turkey on December 22, urged his counterpart and Erdoğan to refrain from operations against Kurdish fighters. However, Erdoğan told the U.S. Secretary of State that Ankara would take 'preemptive action against any terrorist organization in Syria' to maintain its national security. The spokesperson for the Syrian Democratic Forces stated on Monday that ceasefire negotiations mediated by the U.S. between this group and Turkey-backed rebels in Kobani failed to reach an agreement.