Who are Kurds in Syria? How Kurdish–Turkish conflict affect region?
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Sulaiman
- . September 18, 2023
- . Update: September 18, 2023 6:57 pm
A Kurdish armed group in the Syrian Arab Republic attacked the area of Al-Bab in Aleppo province, controlled by pro-Turkish fighters, on Monday. The attack led to the killing of at least 14 people, a war monitor said.
The Kurdish Afrin Liberation Forces, made up of Kurdish fighters, infiltrated the outskirts of Al-Bab in Aleppo province, as reported by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said that 14 people were killed and all pro-Turkish fighters were injured.
Who are Kurds in Syria?
In Syria, the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the armed Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) are mostly made up of Kurds.
The Kurdish people are an ethnic minority group in Syria. They have never achieved nation-state status in Syria. They have also struggled to maintain their identity in some parts of Syria. They face discrimination in the country.
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The Afrin Liberation Forces are made up of Kurdish fighters, who were forced out of Syria’s Afrin area because of an attack by Turkish occupation of northern Syria.
The Afrin Liberation Forces currently reside in northern Aleppo province in Syria. Some American troops have been supporting Syrian Kurds in Syria since 2015.
How does the Kurdish–Turkish conflict affect the region?
In recent years, Turkey has launched various military offensives against Kurdish militants in Syria. Turkey has repeatedly linked Kurdish militants to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
The armed conflict between the government of Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has threatened the Middle East region.
Turkish airstrikes in northern Syria have repeatedly targeted Kurdish forces. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had also called Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, “terrorists.”
Human Rights Watch also warned that the Kurdish–Turkish conflict affected Syria. HRW also warned of a humanitarian crisis.
In recent years, Kurdish groups in Syria have been pressing the United States and Russia to prevent Turkey from carrying out its threats. Kurdish led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), backed by the United States, fought against the Islamic State group (ISIS) in 2019.
Last month, clashes in Kurdish-held eastern Syria between the US-backed group and the members of Deir Ezzor Military Council led to the killing of 13 fighters.
