© Reuters / Murad Sezer
Turkey has confirmed reaching an agreement with the US on temporarily halting its military operation against Kurdish-led militias in northern Syria
but refused to call it a 'ceasefire', adding that it will go on with its plans.
'Operation Peace Spring' will be seized for five days, Foreign Minister Melvut Cavusoglu announced. It came just as US Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo - currently on a visit to Ankara - were breaking the same news to journalists there.
While saying that the Turkish Army would indeed stop a further incursion and let the Kurdish YPG militias - which Ankara calls a 'terrorist organization' - leave the 'safe zone', Cavusolgu still refused to call it a ceasefire. Such a thing is only possible between "two legitimate sides," he told the local media.
He also said that Turkey intends to pursue its initial strategy and create a 32-kilometer deep 'safe zone' along its border with Syria stretching from the Euphrates River to Syria's border with Iraq. He added that,
under the fresh deal with the US, this zone would be controlled by Turkish troops.
Another part of the agreement involves the "collection" of all heavy arms from the YPG (key force of the Kurdish-led SDF) and destruction of their positions in the area. That said, Cavusoglu made it clear that
Turkey did not give America any "guarantees" on the fate of such cities as Kobani (liberated in 2015 from Islamic State by the Kurds).
Comment: The Syrians and Russians currently hold Kobani, so the Turks would have to start another war in order to take it. As for the ceasefire, the Syrian Kurds
welcomed the decision:
Senior Kurdish official Aldar Khalil welcomed on Thursday the agreement between the United States and Turkey on a ceasefire in Syria, Al-Arabiya television reported. "We welcome the truce," Khalil said. According to Khalil, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was forced to compromise and agree to the ceasefire "because of the Kurdish resistance."
Later, SDF commander Mazloum Kobani said that they accept the agreement with Turkey and will do what's needed to make it succeed, Ronahi TV reported. He added, however, that the ceasefire agreement is just the beginning and will not achieve Turkey's goals.
Despite demanding such a move, top Democrats are naturally
criticizing it - because Trump - saying it destroys U.S. credibility (as if the U.S. didn't lose what credibility it had years ago):
Can Trump do anything right? House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer don't seem to think so, calling his agreement to pause Turkey's military campaign in northeastern Syria a "sham."
The US-Turkey agreement to pause Ankara's operation "seriously undermines the credibility of America's foreign policy and sends a dangerous message to our allies and adversaries alike that our word cannot be trusted," Pelosi and Schumer said in a statement on Thursday.
President Erdogan has given up nothing, and President Trump has given him everything.
Just last week, however, the pair were tearing their hair out over what they were certain was the impending genocide of the Kurds at Turkey's hands. Pelosi called President Donald Trump's decision to pull troops out of northern Syria in order to clear the way for the Turkish anti-terror operation "a foolish attempt to appease an authoritarian strongman," while Schumer insisted Trump was "putting America in danger."
With Trump having "rescued" the Kurds from the doom predicted by his opponents - though Ankara has insisted all along that their quarrel is not with the Kurds, but with the PKK, a Kurdish militia group designated terrorists by Turkey, and its alleged offshoot in Syria - the top Democrats have rushed to condemn the deal he made, though it's hard to see how anyone loses under the agreement.
Assad advisor Bouthaina Shaaban
commented on the agreement and the surrounding issue of potential Kurdish autonomy:
"Of course we cannot accept it," Shaaban said in an interview with al-Mayadeen television responding to the question of whether Damascus could accept a "copy" of Iraqi Kurdistan on its territory.
"There are no grounds for this [Kurdish autonomy] ... We will never be able to speak about it from such an angle, since Syria consists of many ethnic and religious layers, and we do not say that someone is a Kurd, or someone follows such and such religion, we simply don't say that. The majority of the Kurds are a precious part of our society for us, but some Kurdish organizations have made a political decision that is contrary to the interests of the country," Shaaban stressed.
"The ceasefire agreement announced by the US and Turkey is unclear," Shaaban also said in an interview with al-Mayadeen television. "As for the term a 'security zone,' it is incorrect: what Turkey really implies is a zone of occupation," she added.
Republican Mitt Romney - another idiot - is also
criticizing Trump's Syria withdrawal, saying it "will stand as a bloodstain in the annals of American history." Jesus, Mitch, you really think this will stand out compared to the utter bloodbaths of Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, and countless other nations the U.S. has invaded? Get a grip.
The SDF reports that Turkish forces have already
violated the
ceasefire by attacking Ras al-Ayn, killing at least one SDF fighter. SOHR repots that a series of Turkish
airstrikes targeted the town, killing 4 SDF, 7 civilians and injuring 21. Syrian media reports that the Turks have used
chemical weapons in their attacks on the Kurds in Ras al-Din. The SDF say the Turks used phosphorus weapons:
After meeting with US National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien in Ankara on Wednesday, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said that "information emerged that terror groups are intending to use chemical weapons and blame it on Turkish military".
"Turkish military does not have any chemical weapon in its inventory, everybody knows this," the defense minister added.
The Turkish-backed jihadists have been
using U.S.-made TOW missiles against the SDF.
Erdogan will
meet Putin on October 22:
"There will be a meeting with Putin in Sochi on Tuesday. Our aim is to identify an acceptable solution. We want the areas under the control of the Syrian government to be cleared of militants of the Kurdistan Workers' Party [PKK] and the Self Defense Forces [YPG]," told a news conference in Istanbul on October 18, according to the Russian news agency TASS.
The Turkish President went on to state that he has no objections against placing the "safe-zone" under the Damascus government's control.
UPDATE - DAY 11
After talking with Trump, Erdogan has promised a "
new page" in relations with the U.S.:
"My counterpart is Trump. Just as we hold necessary talks on the phone, we will also hold face-to-face meetings that will turn a new page in Turkish-US ties, a new milestone," he said on Friday. "Trump's circle supporting his positive approach will make our work easier."
Though he initially vowed he would "never stop this fight, no matter what anyone says," Erdogan has backed off somewhat in recent days. With the incursion paused for 120 hours starting Thursday, the Turkish leader has signaled his willingness to negotiate with Washington, and will involve Russian President Vladimir Putin in discussions.
He also promised to "
crush the heads" of any Kurdish militias who don't leave the area by the end of the 5-day pause.
The Turkish military accused Kurdish forces of
violating the ceasefire, carrying out "14 attacks in the last 36 hours". The Syrian army reportedly
clashed with Turkish-backed jihadists near Ras al-Ayn, preventing the terrorists from taking a village. Here are some videos and pictures of the Syrians entering Kobani for the first time since 2012:
Assad again has called for the
withdrawal of all illegal forces from Syria:
The Syrian President made the statement during a meeting with a Russian delegation headed by special envoy for Syria Alexander Lavrentyev in Damascus on Friday.
"Assad confirmed that efforts should be directed at ending this [Turkish] aggression and the pullout of all illegal forces, including the Turkish and American soldiers, from Syrian territory since they are considered occupying forces under international convention," the press service pointed out.
Lavrentyev, in turn, underscored Russia's firm support for Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The Friday meeting came a day after Assad pledged that Damascus would give a relevant response to Turkey's military operation.
"No matter what false slogans could be made up for the Turkish offensive, it is a flagrant invasion and aggression. Syria has frequently hit [Turkish-backed] proxies and terrorists in more than one place. Syria will respond to the assault and confront it anywhere within the Syrian territory through all legitimate means available", Assad stressed during his talks with Iraqi National Security Adviser Falih al-Fayyadh.
Hilariously, Macron says he found out about the U.S. withdrawal
on Twitter. He called the Turkish offensive "madness" and criticized NATO's reaction:
He also criticized NATO's position in the debacle and its inability to react to the unfolding situation as a "serious mistake" that "weakens our credibility to find partners on the ground who will be by our side thinking they are protected in the long-term."
"So that raises questions on how NATO functions," Macron added.
Trump has caused some
confusion by claiming on Twitter that the U.S. managed to "secure the oil" in Syria. Will U.S. troops remain in eastern Syria, and not just in al-Tanf? A military source
told Al-Masdar News that U.S. forces aren't withdrawing from the oil-field regions of Deir Ezzor and don't plan to.
And finally, some videos of Russians in the abandoned U.S. bases:
The journalists included a correspondent from Zvezda, the official television channel of Russia's Defence Ministry. The correspondent gave a tour of what remains of the base, which was built about three years ago, and is situated about 7 km outside the town of Manbij itself.
Along with an estimated 300 US servicemen, the base housed about 15 vehicles, which US forces used to patrol the area.
"It appears that US forces managed to evacuate only their weapons, ammunition and vehicles; they weren't even able to set fire to the base. However, it seems they understood perfectly well who would come to replace them. Across the base one finds messages for Russians," the correspondent explained, pointing to a makeshift drawing of a bald eagle with the phrase "America is watching - always watching" written on its feathers. Separately, he pointed to a book with the message "With love from the US Army" written into its cover.
Zvezda's reporters weren't the only ones to make it into the base, with News-Front posting another video featuring several more of the so-called "messages to Russians" mentioned by the outlet, including a whiteboard with the message "WE LOVE USA, heart, Russia @realDONALDTRUMP" and "#TheComrades" and a separate whiteboard proclaiming that American Nike was better than Adidas (the German clothing brand preferred by Russians, according to US pop culture) and that whiskey was superior to vodka.
At about 9:50 into the video the correspondent discovers a notebook with the phrase "I expect Nothing from this deployment, and I'm still let down," in the cover.
The videos also showed other areas of the base, including a soundproof room believed to have been the base's command centre, the canteen, laundry room, barracks, and more.
For previous analyses and updates, see:
Comment: As we suspected, the Turkish 'invasion' of northeastern Syria last month was more like an incursion done with a view to stimulating Syrian-Kurdish cooperation, presenting Trump with a problem if American troops got caught in the crossfire.
Trump probably saw through the ruse, but to his credit he played along with it and spun US troops' withdrawal from the border region into a 'win' in terms of his electoral promise to 'end endless wars'.
Trump can claim all the credit if he wants, but everyone knows there's only one peacemaker...
Putin banner that says 'Peacemaker' hangs over Manhattan Bridge, New York, 6 Oct, 2016