Turkish troops participating in a joint Russia-Turkey patrol in the Syrian safe zone attacked and killed at least two protesters in the Syrian city of Kobani. The city of Kobani is overwhelmingly Kurdish.
The joint patrols have been facing protests in several towns in the safe
zone, particularly Kurdish-populated areas, where the Turkish invaders
are considered highly unwelcome after last month’s invasion.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported two killed and seven
injured in the shooting incident on Tuesday. Turkey referred to the
firing as the result of “provocation by terrorists.”
More interesting is the lack of response from Russia, whose
participation in the patrols was seemingly meant to keep them on an even
keel. The Russian Defense Ministry reported a patrol through Kobani,
but didn’t even mention the shooting incident. Of course there is no
sign Russians participated in the shooting, but they were still there
and would seemingly have felt that worth reporting.
The Kurdish SDF was deeply critical of the matter, declaring in a
statement “Turkish army is firing live bullets on Kurdish protesters and
killing them in broad daylight.” That appears to be the size of it, and
within the Syria safe zone, the new normal.
Turkish Forces Shoot at Protesters in Syria’s Kobani
Turkish troops were in joint patrol with Russians in Kurdish city
Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.
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