US officials are sounding the alarm about a possible large-scale military operation by Turkey in northern Syria, targeting areas controlled by the US-backed Kurds.
Foreign media say that, according to the same sources, significant Turkish military forces, consisting of militia, commandos and heavy artillery, have gathered on the border near Kobani, a Kurdish-majority city.
These moves began after the fall of the Assad regime in early December, reminiscent of Ankara's moves before the invasion of northeastern Syria in 2019. "We are monitoring the situation and pressing for restraint," a US official said.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Ilham Ahmed, an official in the Kurdish political administration, wrote a letter to US President-elect Donald Trump, asking him to intervene and persuade Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan not to proceed with another invasion. "Turkey's aim is to establish its control over our territories before you take office, forcing you to engage with them as leaders of our territory," Ahmed said in his letter, warning of "disastrous consequences" if Turkish intervention.
This development has put the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in a vulnerable position. Foreign Secretary Anthony Blinken traveled to Turkey last week to discuss Syria's future with Erdogan and seek assurances that Ankara will scale back operations against Kurdish fighters.
But US-brokered ceasefire talks between Syrian Kurds and Turkish-backed rebels in Kobani broke down on Monday without an agreement, according to a spokesman for the Syrian Democratic Forces. The SDF is now monitoring "significant military concentrations" to the east and west of the city, the spokesman said.
"From the border, we can already see Turkish forces massed and civilians living in constant fear of imminent death and destruction," Ahmed-Trump wrote.
Ahmed warned that a Turkish offensive would displace more than 200,000 Kurdish civilians in Kobani and recalled Trump's pledge in an earlier meeting that the United States "will not abandon the Kurds."
Ahmed called on President-elect Trump to use his influence to prevent the Turkish invasion and protect the Kurdish communities who have been staunch allies in the fight for peace and security. "Erdogan has heard your voice in the past", he emphasized, "and we believe that your leadership can prevent this disaster". (A2 Televizion)
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