A News Bulletin From Rojava October 27- 1 November

The Democratic Society Movement, TEV-DEM

A News Bulletin From Rojava October 27- 1 November

TEV-DEM Foreign Relations Centre Email: tevdeminfo@gmail.com Facebook: PDR Tev-Dem Twitter: PDR Tev-Dem WhatsApp: 00963 996 275573


Ilham Ehmed: “The Syrian regime should take steps for a political solution" 


MSD Co-chair Ehmed stated that the Syrian regime needs to take steps for a political solution. Ehmed also warned that failure to do so could lead to negative results and called on regional powers, Turkey in particular, to withdraw from Syrian territory. Syrian Democratic Council (MSD) Co-chair Ilham Ehmed stated that the Turkish state has invaded Northern Syrian provinces of Jarablus, Azaz and Bab. Ehmed spoke to ANHA and said: “They have invaded some parts of the Idlib state and have come closer to the Efrîn region. The media has written that the Turkish state has invaded Idlib after they struck a deal with Tahrir Al Sham (Jabhat Al Nusra) gangs.” Ehmed said states in the region who have a role in the current situation of Syria, “and the Turkish state that harbors animosity towards the peoples of Syria and wants to enact invasion policies in particular”, should cease their activities and withdraw from Syrian territory. Ehmed added that the Syrian regime has to take steps for a rightful political solution, and negative consequences might come to pass if they fail to do so. https://anfenglish.com/news/the-syrian-regime-should-take-steps-for-a-political-solution- 22920 
Turkish Troops Set Up 2nd Observation Post in Safe Zone in Idlib Province, Syria On October 13, Turkey's military constructed the first observation post in Syria's Idlib province; Syria's government has condemned the move and sees it as an invasion of its territory. MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Turkish troops have installed the second observation post in the northern Syrian province of Idlib, in line with the Astana agreements, local media reported Saturday. The post was set up to the east of Salwah village, where the first post was installed and the overall number of such posts will reach 14, the Yeni Safak newspaper reported. Earlier, the official representative of the US-led coalition, Ryan Dillon, said that coalition does not coordinate its actions with Russia in the Syrian Idlib. During the September round of Astana talks, Russia, Iran and Turkey, the three states that serve as guarantors of the Syrian ceasefire, agreed on all four de-escalation zones in Syria. The sides also reached an agreement on the rules of operation in buffer zones, checkpoints and observation posts, as well as the rules of engagement for units of the de-escalation control force. 3 On October 7, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the start of an operation against militants in Syria in the province of Idlib. According to Tayyip Erdogan, the goal of the operation is to protect civilians. Damascus has already urged Ankara to immediately withdraw troops from the province. The Idlib province is mainly controlled by the Free Syrian Army and other opposition forces that are fighting against government troops. The province is covered by one of the four established de-escalation zones. https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201710281058615219-turkey-idlib-syria/ 

Syrian Kurds ask Britain to take back suspected IS member 'Jihadi Jack' 

Authorities in the Kurdish region of Syria have charged a British man with being a member of the Islamic State group and are considering handing him over to UK authorities. Jack Letts, dubbed “Jihadi Jack” and now 21, travelled to Syria from his home town of Oxford in 2014, but was captured by the Kurdish-led YPG forces in May 2017 when he left IS territory. According to a statement given to the BBC from the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria (DFNS) - a self-declared autonomous region - Letts has been taken to a prison in Rojava, northern Syria while local police investigate his case. The statement said that Kurdish officials are willing to hand over Letts to Britain - or to Canada where he is also a citizen - once he has been properly investigated. It said: "Jack Letts is currently under investigation by local and global anti-terror units. "Once the investigation is concluded, the outcome will be communicated to Jack's parents, and their legal representatives and to the officials of relevant governments. "Therefore, we ask the parents of Jack Letts and their legal representative to ask the UK and Canadian governments to officially request the handover of Jack Letts from the officials of the DFNS so that the handover can proceed officially. "However, so far there has been no official request" from either Canadian or British governments. The British Foreign Office said that: "The government is unable to provide support to British nationals in Syria as the UK government does not have consular representation there." ….. For the whole story: http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/syrian-kurds-ask-uk-take-backcaught-islamic-state-member-1354714613 4 

YPG commander calls for international support to rebuild Raqqa 

A commander for the YPG/YPJ called on international powers to join the efforts to rebuild Raqqa after the elimination of ISIS threat. YPG/YPJ commander Newroz Ehmed said that Syrian Democratic Forces achieved victory in Raqqa but talked about tough tasks ahead, pointing out the need to clear the city of mines and sleeper cells of ISIS. “After the city is secured we need to start rebuilding efforts immediately” Ehmed said. Newroz Ehmed is a member of the YPG/YPJ Military Council and one of the commanders of the Raqqa operation. She is now on the front lines in the Operation Cizire Storm against ISIS in Deir ez-Zor. Ehmed spoke to ANF about the Raqqa liberation campaign, the current situation and plans for the city. WE NEED SUPPORT TO CLEAR THE MINES IN THE CITY Raqqa has been liberated by Syrian Democratic Forces. At this moment can we say that Raqqa is secure? The most challenging part of the operation was to eliminate ISIS in Raqqa and liberate the city. We achieved this after a very intense fighting and we paid the price for it. However, the city was destroyed because of the intensity of the fighting. The people of Raqqa had to leave their homes and their land and became refugees. The task to rebuild the city is a tough one. It’s not only because of the level of destruction. There are thousands of mines in the city. Some of the mines have been cleared but ISIS set booby traps in various location and they are hard to find. Every day there occur mine explosions in the city, causing casualties. We need the support of international organizations to clear all the mines in the city. Therefore we need to keep the city under control and prevent civilian casualties. Of course, we need to consider the presence of ISIS’ sleeping cells. It’s important for us to keep the region under control with utmost attention for another while. We can’t say “we liberated the city, everything is over, the city is secure”. We need to take defensive measures in the city for a significant period of time. ….. 

For the whole interview: https://anfenglish.com/features/ypg-commander-calls-forinternational-support-to-rebuild-raqqa-22949

MSF: Thousands could die in Syria if Rojava – Kurdistan border close 

Refugees fleeing from Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava) to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. (Pho Thousands of people could die should the border between Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava) and Iraqi Kurdistan, namely the Fayish Khabur crossing, become inaccessible to humanitarian groups, Doctors Without Borders warned on Saturday. Ties between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Federal Government of Iraq have considerably deteriorated following the Sep. 25 referendum on independence for the Kurdistan Region. Iranian-backed Shia Hashd al-Shaabi (PMF) militia along with Iraqi Forces have since then launched military assaults over the past two weeks on the region with the aim to control areas northwest of Mosul and advance on the Turkish border. The international border crossing with Turkey, however, is part of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region. It's also adjacent to the Rojava border, where the Iraqi forces are attempting to control the Faysh Khabur gate into Syria. “MSF is extremely concerned about the ongoing delivery of humanitarian aid to the population in northeast Syria due to clashes between Kurdish and Iraqi forces in the northwest of Iraq that threaten to close of the Syrian-Iraqi border crossing of Faysh Khabur,” the statement of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reads. ….. For the whole story: http://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/5e727ac2-86fa-4568-bffb- 73df380cfc5f


Turkey tightens siege on Afrin Afrin

, a small piece of Syria abutting Turkey’s Hatay and Kilis provinces, is known for its olives and pomegranates as well as its stubbornly resistant Kurdish population. This land where Kurds have been living for a thousand years is now Turkey’s primary target, but not because it poses a threat to Turkey’s borders. While Atme, Azaz and Jarablus were scenes of violent clashes, Afrin had remained calm. Today, the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and National Intelligence Service are focusing on Afrin because of the local population's strong support for imprisoned Kurdistan Workers Party leader Abdullah Ocalan. Afrin had been under occasional artillery harassment by the TSK and its local allies in the Free Syrian Army and is now under pressure from the south. The TSK set up a command center on Sheikh Bereket Hill overlooking Afrin, followed by new bases at Salve, Daret Izza and on Seman Mountain.
“The operation at Idlib is mostly done with. Now, as I said earlier, we could suddenly come one night,” Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Oct. 24 at the Justice and Development Party's parliamentary meeting. According to pro-government Turkish news reports, the TSK will launch its Afrin operation from Azaz and Seman. Its objective is to take control of an 80-mile (130-kilometer) stretch from Azaz to Daret Izza and Deir Ballut. The reports claim that if the TSK succeeds in Afrin, it will carve out a corridor from Harem, Serakip, Sermin, Jisr ash-Shughour, Khirbet Al-Joz and Turkmen Mountain all the way to the Mediterranean Sea. It is a very ambitious and risky plan. But local sources also talk of a different scenario, saying a strong local resistance is likely. In this case, a corridor would need to be established between Azaz and Idlib to totally encircle Afrin. This operation would require the capture of Tel Firat in addition to Cinders and Seman. …… For the whole article: https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2017/10/turkey-syriarussia-tightening-siege-of-afrin.html

 Gen. Ebu Erac: “We will not allow for Turkey's Idlib invasion to succeed”

Revolutionary Forces Commander General stated that they are always prepared to go to Idlib and prevent the Turkish state’s invasion of the region. Ebu Erac said they are hoping that the people of Idlib will also object to the invasion and help them. Revolutionary Forces Commander General Ehmed Sultan (Ebu Erac), who is from Idlib himself, spoke to ANHA about the state of Idlib and said their forces are always prepared to defend the people of Idlib. Ebu Erac started his speech by mentioning that their forces have also participated in the liberation of Raqqa and have achieved great success. He added: “The SDF is always ready to fight gangs and clear the region of gangs. As of now, the SDF is putting this into practice in the rural areas of Deir ez-Zor.”

“THE VICTORY FLAG FLIES OVER RAQQA” 

 Ebu Erac continued by saying the victory flag now flies over Raqqa and continued: “After the Raqqa victory, the Turkish state launched a series of meetings. The Turkish state has held meetings with all the guaranteer states in the Astana talks. All the Turkish state’s meetings are geared towards blocking the post-Raqqa process. Because the Turkish state knows very well that after Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor, we will be turning towards Idlib and its surroundings. The 7 Turkish state has entered Idlib territory as invaders by carrying out attacks. The Turkish state is now close to Aleppo province and Hama to the north.”

“GANGS FIGHT AMONG THEMSELVES”

Ebu Erac said the gangs started fighting among themselves after the Turkish state entered Idlib and continued: “Some of the Jabhat Al Nusra gang groups favor the Turkish state entering Idlib and some don’t accept it. The group that enabled the Turkish state’s crossing into Idlib is the group led by Ebu Mariya Al Qehtanî who is supported by Al Nusra.” ….. For more: https://anfenglish.com/rojava/we-will-not-allow-for-turkey-s-idlib-invasion-tosucceed-22979

Assad sets sights on Kurdish areas, risking new Syria conflict

BEIRUT (Reuters) - With Islamic State near defeat in Syria, Damascus is setting its sights on territory held by Kurdish-led forces including eastern oil fields, risking a new confrontation that could draw the United States in more deeply and complicate Russian diplomacy. President Bashar al-Assad and his Iranian allies appear to have been emboldened by events in Iraq, where Kurdish authorities have suffered a major blow since regional states mobilised against their independence referendum, analysts say. Rivalry between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), supported by the United States, and the Syrian government backed by Iran and Russia is emerging as a fault line with their common enemy - Islamic State - close to collapse in Syria. Syria’s main Kurdish groups hope for a new phase of negotiations that will shore up their autonomy in northern Syria. Assad’s government, however, is asserting its claim to areas captured by the SDF from the jihadist group, known in Arabic by its enemies as Daesh, in more forceful terms. On Sunday, Damascus declared Islamic State’s former capital at Raqqa would be considered “occupied” until the Syrian army took control - a challenge to Washington which helped the SDF capture the city in months of fighting. ….. For the whole story: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-kurdsanalysis/assad-sets-sights-on-kurdish-areas-risking-new-syria-conflict-idUSKBN1D02CN

Berivan Hassan: the world [should] support north of Syria like Kobanî

KOBANI – The co-chair of the Executive Council of Kobani canton, Berivan Hassan said that by the International Day of Solidarity with resistance of Kobani the world must recognize the truth in Syria, and stand in solidarity with the components of the Syrian people as it was with Kobani. 3 years passed since the dozens of cities around the world rallied in support of the resistance of the fighters in Kobani, when the war was fierce. On November 1st, as the International Day of Solidarity with Kobani’s resistance was announced. On this subject and its implications and the impact of Kobani’s resistance on the peoples of the region and the world, Hawar news agency held an interview with the Co-Chair of the Executive Council of Kobani canton; Berivan Hassan. Berivan considered that the war in Kobani caught the attention of the world and proved that the Kurds do exist and defend humanity as a whole. Berivan Hassan said that the fighters have fought on behalf of the world, and the peoples whose hearts beat for freedom had to take to the streets and support the fighters who remained in a small area in the city. She added that “the Kurdish people throughout history have made a lot of sacrifices in order to reach the current day, but the harsh conditions and dictatorial regimes that were and still control the Kurds in the region, deprived the Kurds of their rights, but the resistance of Kobani explained to the world who are the Kurds and which philosophy and thought they rest on, when our fighters faced the most dangerous terrorism known to mankind, at a time when terrorism intimidated the world and posed a threat all over it.” ….. For more: http://en.hawarnews.com/berivan-hassan-the-world-support-north-of-syria-likekobani/

Walid Phares: Returning liberated Syrian zones to local security forces

The fall of Raqqa into the hands of U.S.-backed “northern Syria forces,” which comprise Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) and local Arab Sunni militias, is signaling the beginning of the end of the Islamic State’s (ISIS) geopolitical control inside Syria. The next step is the liberation of Deir el-Zour in the east and some other enclaves still held by ISIS. The immediate issue now on the front burner is this: Who will be in control of the areas liberated from ISIS inside Syria? Answers matter in view of the crisis now underway between Baghdad and the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) in Iraq, especially after the move by 9 Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi to seize Kirkuk from the Peshmerga. Since 2014, the Kurdish forces had controlled areas it had defended against ISIS in northern Iraq, but it is now being compelled to relinquish them to the Iraqi government. Are post-ISIS realities different in Syria? Will pro-U.S. forces on the ground keep the areas they liberate, such as Raqqa and Deir el-Zour, or will they also surrender them at some point? Last weekend, President Trump said that the U.S. campaign against the Islamic State, would soon enter a new phase in which the U.S. would “support local security forces, de-escalate violence across Syria, and advance the conditions for lasting peace, so that the terrorists cannot return to threaten our collective security again.” He said in a statement: “Together, our forces have liberated the entire city from ISIS control. The defeat of ISIS in Raqqa represents a critical breakthrough in our worldwide campaign to defeat ISIS and its wicked ideology. With the liberation of ISIS‘ capital and the vast majority of its territory, the end of the ISIS caliphate is in sight.” He added, “Together, with our allies and partners, we will support diplomatic negotiations that end the violence, allow refugees to return safely home, and yield a political transition that honors the will of the Syrian people.” In short, the Trump administration will not surrender liberated territories in Syria to the Assad regime before a comprehensive political solution to the future of security in the country. The U.S. will consolidate the freed areas by backing what it calls “local security forces,” and at the same time engage in talks about the future of Syria and its institutions. While Iran and Hezbollah are supporting the regime and endeavoring to regain control of zones in the hands of all “insurgency forces” including ISIS, other Islamists, Kurds and a wide array of armed groups across the country, the U.S. is making it clear that it will stand by its own “allies on the ground,” those who have taken Raqqa away from the “caliphate.” I am glad to see that the administration is adopting a policy we advocated since 2011 and called for repeatedly since 2016. That is, to support vetted local forces to liberate areas from terror groups such as ISIS, and back them in the management of the freed areas, until real strategic talks yield a permanent solution for the Syrian war. Back in 2013, in a piece published by Fox.com, I made the case for U.S. support for a “small free Syria.” The call preceded the rise of ISIS and the Trump administration. The Obama White House extended minimal military assistance to these “northeast” forces, especially after the ISIS blitz of 2014, but it did not commit to assist them post-ISIS. The question remains open to multiple scenarios. One of the problems is Turkey’s sharp opposition to the Kurdish YPG component of the SDF. The other challenge is Iran and Bashar Assad’s determination that after ISIS, control would only be held by the regime. Over the past two years, I argued that in order to have successful negotiations about Syria, those negotiations need to be between two balanced forces. The regime is already supported by Russia and Iran. Many opposition factions are said to be controlled by radical Islamist factions, and thus not trusted by the West. The sole group backed by the U.S. remains the only party to be backed on the ground and later in the negotiations. The Trump administration adopted this equation by supporting the SDF and U.S. Coalition assets, helping them push back against ISIS all the way to Raqqa. After the liberation of the city, Washington had to make a decision: What happens next? President Trump clarified it: The U.S. will support “local security forces.” ….. For the whole article: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/oct/31/syrian-zonesliberated-from-terror-return-to-local/