Members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), predominantly Kurdish, in Hasakah, northern Syria, on Dec. 11, 2024, after the rebels seized Damascus. (Credit: Orhan Qereman/Reuters)
They find themselves cornered. For over a month, the Kurdish forces leading the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) have feared for their survival after losing Tell Rifaat and Manbij to pro-Turkish forces. This sentiment grows as Ankara, perceived as the regional winner of the Assad regime's overthrow, reiterates its threats and attacks, directly and through its proxies, against the Kurds in Syria. On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan once again raised his voice against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), classified as terrorist, and the People's Protection Units (YPG), considered by Ankara as a Syrian branch of the former: “The circle is closing for the separatist organization and its extension [in Syria].”On his side, Syria's new strongman, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, alias of Ahmad...
They find themselves cornered. For over a month, the Kurdish forces leading the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) have feared for their survival after losing Tell Rifaat and Manbij to pro-Turkish forces. This sentiment grows as Ankara, perceived as the regional winner of the Assad regime's overthrow, reiterates its threats and attacks, directly and through its proxies, against the Kurds in Syria. On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan once again raised his voice against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), classified as terrorist, and the People's Protection Units (YPG), considered by Ankara as a Syrian branch of the former: “The circle is closing for the separatist organization and its extension [in Syria].”On his side, Syria's new strongman, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, alias of Ahmad...