Friday, March 29, 2024
HomeUncategorizedIn areas backed by Turkey, Syrians welcome US withdrawal

In areas backed by Turkey, Syrians welcome US withdrawal

- Advertisement -

usResidents and fighters in territory held by pro-Turkish rebels in northern Syria cautiously welcomed Washington’s decision to pull out troops, viewing it as a chance to push further into Kurdish territory.

“The withdrawal is positive”, said Mustafa Hamush, a resident of Azaz, a city at the heart of a Turkish zone of influence in Syria’s bewilderingly complex civil war.

“When the US withdraws its forces, the Kurdish authorities will automatically be weakened,” said the 20-year-old fashion designer, adding that Turkey and its Syrian rebel allies could seize Kurdish-held regions east of the Euphrates River.

Washington and other powers in an anti-jihadist coalition have supported the Kurds as a bulwark against the Islamic State group — another protagonist in Syria’s multi-fronted conflict.

Not everyone in the Turkish-backed rebel zone sees the US withdrawal as an unadulterated positive.

Some residents believe the void left by the planned US departure could see Syria’s military reclaim yet more ground, rather than the Turks extending their own sphere of influence.

Kurdish authorities could mend fences with Damascus, joining forces to better protect themselves against a possible offensive by Ankara, with the Kurds maintaining a degree of autonomy.

The Syrian regime has regained significant ground since Russia intervened on its side in 2015. Opposition groups — including Turkish-backed forces and a former branch of Al-Qaeda — now control less than 10 percent of the country’s territory.

For Ahmad Faruh, a resident of Azaz, the American withdrawal risks being exploited by IS, allowing it to stage a comeback in Syria.

The extremist group has seen its territory shrink to a few pockets, its once vast self-declared “caliphate” squeezed by separate offensives by the Washington-backed Kurds and Syria’s Moscow-aligned regime.

“The US withdrawal and the absence of coalition planes could reinforce IS and (enable it) to control new regions,” the 20-year-old student cautioned.

On the frontline, these fears of a jihadist resurgence are shared by some Turkish-backed fighters.

But the forces on the ground are up to the challenge, asserted Mahmud Abu Abdullah, a fighter with rebel group Al-Jabha al-Shamiya.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed this week to eliminate both IS and Kurdish militias in northern Syria, on Friday saying an offensive would start in the coming months.

Sporadic clashes have erupted on frontlines separating the Turkish-backed rebels and the SDF north of Aleppo.

- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -

Latest

Must Read

- Advertisement -

Related News