A Threat To The Sovereignty Of Syria
- The Grapevine
- Jun 26, 2020
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 24, 2020
Written by: Farkhunda
Fig 1: The relationship between the organizations Illustrated by: Ayari S.
On October 9th, 2019, Turkish troops launched airstrikes on northeast Syrian towns called Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ain. This resulted in the death of 11 people and injured dozens of civilians, thus displacing them from Ras al-Ain. The establishment of the "safe zone" was launched with the aim of the Turkish government to make sure they are saved from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The purpose of these "safe zones" is to prevent civilians from fleeing the conflict. According to the Human Rights Watch, "safe zones" are areas “designated by agreement of parties to an armed conflict in which military forces will not deploy or carry out attacks.” The SDF are Kurdish led forces in Syria which are considered to have a political relationship with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is recognized as a terrorist organization in Turkey. Since 2015, the clashes have killed at least 4,900 people.
The operation of establishing "safe zones" on the north-eastern border is conducted due to the consideration of the People's Protection Units (YPG), who formed the SDF, as a terrorist organization by the Turkish government. The "safe zones" could be observed as a major threat to the sovereignty of north-east Syria especially the two towns, Tel Abyad and Ras al-Ain. And with this offensive, the SDF would no longer be able to govern the territories. At the local level of the SDF, the Kurds, they govern this part of Syria and have the power of controlling the territory. Previously, as we saw in the definition of the "safe zone", there must have been agreements between two political parties. However, in this situation, there are no agreements between the two parties (SDF and the Turkish government). Turkey is only using their own judgment to make sure that the SDF, a terrorist organization in their eyes, establishes a "safe zone" with them in order to prevent any attacks being made on them. Though, Turkey cannot lead this offense by itself, it requires the support of its allies either directly or indirectly. The US, for example, is supporting Turkey’s offense indirectly by deploying its troops from north-eastern Syria, opening the way for Turkish troops.
Fig 2: The map of Turkish-Syrian border
However, the Turkish government sees this operation as a step against terror groups in Syria allowing them to secure their border from the attacks of the Kurdish led forces: YPG and SDF. As mentioned before, Turkey considers YPG as a terrorist organization. They also believe that it is connected to another terrorist organization, the PKK. The PKK has been fighting against the Turkish government for the last 30 years, causing the death of approximately 40,000 people. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the President of Turkey, has stated, “Turkey has the right to eliminate all threats against its national security”. This statement highlights the urgency and importance of launching the "safe zone" as Turkey’s own interest and national security. In addition, Turkey claims that this operation is not only for its own self-interest but also for Syria as the Turkish representative had said: “Our common efforts have prevented the establishment of a terror state in northern Syria.” This suggests that this operation would ensure the security of both Turkey and Syria’s borders.
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is another major threat to the sovereignty of Syria due to the Turkish offense. When the SDF and U.S troops defeated ISIS in the Kurdish controlled region of Syria, many ISIS fighters were imprisoned and their families had been kept in camps. Since the SDF is fighting Turkish troops in the Turkish-Syrian border, the ISIS fighters in cells take this as an opportunity to escape. Reports show ISIS fighters fleeing the prisons and having to launch three attacks in the city of Raqqa, Syria. Furthermore, ISIS is not only a threat at a regional level to Syria, but also to the middle-eastern countries. The goal of ISIS is to create an Islamic state and expand its territory in the middle east and beyond. Thus, this terrorist group not only violates the sovereignty of Syria but also that of the bordering countries such as Iraq.
Consequently, the establishment of a “safe zone” by Turkey has violated the sovereignty of Syria. This offense is difficult to solve in a short amount of time because it is not a conflict only between Syria and Turkey; other countries such as the United States and Russia are also involved. Turkey itself has the second most powerful military in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), but if this conflict continues to grow, it could lead to the deadliest world-wide conflict.
Edited by: Gisele & Liann
Bibliography:
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