Erdogan officially announces that Turkish military op against Afrin Kurds underway

RT
Sat, 20 Jan 2018 17:31 UTC

© Osman Orsal / Reuters

Turkish army howitzers fire from a military post on the Turkish-Syrian border in Hatay province, Turkey January 20, 2018

Ankara has "de facto" begun its operation against Kurdish forces in Syria's Afrin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said after the army called the military strike "legitimate self-defense."

"The Afrin operation has de facto been started on the ground," Erdogan said in a televised speech in the city of Kutahya, as cited by AFP.

"This will be followed by Manbij," he added, referring to a Kurdish-controlled town in northern Syria, about 30 kilometers west of the Euphrates.

Both Afrin and Manbij are controlled by the YPG Syrian Kurdish militia.

"The promises made to us over Manbij were not kept. So nobody can object if we do what is necessary," Erdogan said, referring to previous US assurances that the YPG would move out of Afrin.

"Later we will step-by-step clear our country up to the Iraqi border from this terror filth that is trying to besiege our country," he concluded.

The army said it shelled Kurdish positions in Syria's Afrin region on Friday and Saturday, destroying shelters and hideouts used by militants from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Syria's Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG).

In a written statement, the Turkish General Staff said the army hit the terrorist organization's shelters "within the scope of legitimate self-defense," as cited by Turkish news agency Anadolu.

According to Ankara, Syria's Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its affiliate People's Protection Units (YPG) are allegedly linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey.

Turkey's Defense Minister said on Friday that Ankara has no option but to carry out a military operation in the north-western Syrian enclave of Afrin (a Kurdish-held area of Syria.) The minister added that the operation has actually 'de facto started' with cross-border shelling.

According to Anadolu, at least ten howitzer shells were fired on targets in Syria by Turkish artillery deployed in the Kirikhan and Hassa districts of Hatay province. The Turkish military said they are preventing the creation of a "terror corridor" connecting Syrian Kurdish enclaves along the border.

RIA Novosti cited an YPG source as saying on Friday that "more than 70 artillery rockets" coming from the Turkish side had landed in the Afrin area.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated on Monday that "the operation [in Afrin] may start at any time" adding that "operations into other regions will come after."

Turkey's allies should think twice before they consider helping what he called terrorists in Syria, Erdogan said.

"We won't be responsible for the consequences," the Turkish leader warned.

On Friday, the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, called on the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) to put their faith in diplomacy before launching any military operation into Afrin.

"If diplomacy is used, an agreement is reached, and aerial support is also provided, the problem can be solved. Otherwise, the problem would grow bigger and its cost for Turkey would be hefty," the lawmaker warned, as cited by Hurriyet newspaper.

Comment: Despite threats from Damascus than any Turkish jets bombing Afrin would be shot down, the Turks have reportedly started bombing Kurdish positions in Afrin.

"TSK (Turkish Armed Forces) has started airborne operations," Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said at a party congress on Saturday, as quoted by Hurriyet. Yildirim said eight F-16 aircraft were involved in the aerial sortie.

"As of this moment our brave Armed Forces have started the aerial offensive to eliminate the PYD and PKK and [Islamic State] elements in Afrin," Yildirim said.

Turkey's General Staff has officially declared the start of the operation, dubbing it 'Operation Olive Branch,' according to a statement cited by Turkish newspaper Sol.

AP journalists at the Turkish border reported seeing at least five jets heading toward Afrin. Also sighted was a convoy of buses, believed to be carrying Syrian opposition fighters, and trucks mounted with machine guns.

A senior Kurdish official said that Turkish warplanes had struck residential parts of Afrin, forcing people to retreat inside their homes and in shelters, Reuters reported. Several wounded people arrived at a local hospital, according to Hevi Mustafa, a top member of the civilian administration that governs the area.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has discussed the military offensive with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Turkish officials said. Ministry officials earlier said Tillerson had requested a telephone conversation with his Turkish counterpart. Ankara's Chief of Military Staff, Hulusi Akar, has also spoken with his US and Russian counterparts, according to Turkish media reports.

The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have meanwhile accused Turkey of using cross-border shelling as a false pretext to launch an offensive into Syria, according to Reuters. The SDF, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias fighting Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS), said it will have no choice but to defend itself if attacked. The alliance controls areas in Syria's east and north.

Moscow has only given this slightly half-hearted response:

The launch of 'Operation Olive Branch' by Ankara against Kurdish militias controlling the Syrian region of Afrin has raised deep concerns in Russia, the Foreign Ministry said on Saturday. Moscow urged all the parties to show restraint and respect the territorial integrity of Syria, stressing the importance of focusing international efforts on the peace process in the country after the main forces of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) have been crushed.

The Russians even appear to be pulling whatever military personnel they have there out of Afrin:

The Russian command in Syria has taken measures to ensure the security of servicemen in Afrin, where Turkey is conducting an operation against the Kurds, the Defense Ministry said.

The military department stressed that "to prevent possible provocations, to exclude the threat to life and health of Russian servicemen," the operational group of the Center for reconciliation of warring parties and military police was relocated from Afrin to Tel Adjar.

The Center for Reconciliation continues to monitor the situation in the de-escalation zone of Tel-Rifat in order to promptly provide assistance to the civilian population leaving the combat areas, the report said.

See also:

• US and Turkey react as Syrian forces move to retake Idlib from Al Qaeda
• Experts decipher Erdogan's intentions of continuing escalation in Syria
• Turkey begins cross-border shelling of Syrian Kurds in Afrin: Turkish army attempts to enter Syrian province, Kurds repel attack - UPDATE
• Afrin tensions: US warns Turkey against actions on Syrian Kurds - Ankara will carry out military op
• Afrin knot: How the battle for a small Kurdish enclave could be a sign of the failed US foreign policy