The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), dominated by the Kurdish YPG, have begun a campaign of mass conscription in several cities, many of them Sunni Arab territories that used to be part of the ISIS caliphate.
The SDF is anticipating a new round of fighting against Turkey, and having failed to resist them in the past are now hoping a bunch of conscripts will help them slow an advance.
Upon announcing that they’ll be conscripting all young men capable of using a gun, the scheme turned to setting up checkpoints around cities and just arresting young men en masse and shipping them to a camp around Hasakeh to fight.
This may get the SDF more fighters, but the loyalty of people dragged off the street and forced to fight is certainly going to be questionable.
Well I guess the Kurds have made up their mind. They dont want to be part of Syria. This will be the end of them.
No, this is not true. SDF is definitely NOT representing Kurds. Never did. The genesis of SDF was US effort to create a make believe resistance army — Syrian Amy. Using Kurds as a nucleus. At first, many Arabs were forcibly recruited in Deir Azzor area, then fully controlled by US. Over time, all defected and fled to Government controlled area.
This is merely a repeat of that strategy. I would not be surprised if some CIA without imagination came up with a sequel just because money is now being pumped into Kurds again.
But the only Kurdish secessionists were YPG, a branch of PKK. And YPG has disarmed, under Damascus-Russian supervision. To insure YPG does not penetrate Turkish border area, Russian-Turkish border patrol has been controlling area ever since. The Hassakah area is now a patchwork of control. Syrian army has a military base there, and after YPG folded, Russian and Syrian patrols are tgere. US patrols tried to get out and challenge Russian patrols, but itvall stopped by US settling to a small footprint while still supporting SDF.
If there are bigger plans for SDF — I do not know how will it work. Syrian Kurds got a message. Independence will not happen, and US was merely using them until they were ditched.
Sure, now Biden administration under Israeli pressure has given hints if supporting Kurds — again. But unless they want to challenge Turkey in Afrin, Syria-Russia in Kobane or Russian-Turkish border controls — any accomplishment will end up a short lived show. Turkey is gearing up for something, there was some sort of an understanding after Erdogan-Putin meeting. I thought it was about Idlib and HTS moves.
Status quo in Hassakah is not bothering Damascus, for as long as US is clinging to the border, why worry about SDF.
Hold up? The YPG has disarmed? When was this? YPG is the militia arm of the SDF. YPG has over 100,000 soldiers.
Well, I can give you my referential points. I would like to know your sources. First removal of YPG occurred during first Turkish offensive against
ISIS — Jarabulus to Al-Bab corridor. It was the first and one of the most important losses for YPG Technically, fight against ISIS —in reality, a fight against placeholders. YPG. was poised to swoop this corridor after taking iver Manjib. It was clear that if the corridor was taken by YPG, the triangle Raqqa-Al-Bab-Afrin would have been under Kurdish-US control. Turkey preempted this, preventing linkage of two Kurdish areas — Kobane and Afrin.
Turkey also removed YPG from Afrin, after YPG refused to allow Syrian forces to take over border control. YPG at the time had set up a visa system for Syrians who lived in Afrin.
Ever since ISIS was removed from Raqqa, US established Kurdish control over majority Arab town. So in addition to Manbij, another majority Arab town, and the string of border towns — US was expanding Kurdish control. While US worked with a more neutral sounding SDF version, in reality, YPG was the beneficiary.
When Trump decided to withdraw — it was for one reason. He was unwilling to set up another apartheid state, where majority, Syrian Arabs were controlled by a minority — Kurds. Turkey had to play bad guy here, but Trump’s withdrawal was due to the untenable US position. It was tail-wag-the-dog situation, where US was committed to Kurdish expansion of territory, suppressing local rebellions and then being forced to nation- build till eternity.
So, by withdrawing, Trump had abandoned YPG. YPG had cut deal in Manbij, by disarming. Same in Raqqa. Syrian army and Russia are now in Kurdish majority area, Kobane. Once a capital of Kurdish secessionist government, it is no longer under YPG or SDF control.
In Hassakah, there are SDF Kurds, do not know about YPG. And Syrian army base is in Hassakah as well.
To my knowledge YPG is not armed force, and has no territory to be able to recruit or hold army if any size.
I do not have the data, but I do not recall YPG staying armed in any specific area, town or township. They were once in Ras Al Ayn, and another border area, not any more, at least not openly.
If you have any information about YPG armed presence anywhere, please let me know. It is possible that Damascus and Russia allowed some units to remain under arms to maintain security. But even in Kobane, it is Russian military police maintaining order. Unless something changed, ine bever knows.
Not having an armed presence and disarming are two different things. Retreating out of a town is not the same as dis-arming. The YPG has never laid down or dis-arm. They are the prime security force for the SDF and the only defense against a Turkish attack on NE Syria. What we have been seeing is the disarming and funneling of the remnants of DAESH, Al Nusra, ISIS, etc into Idlib. Idlib will fall to Assad and those terrorists and Turkish backed forces will swing east in preparation for an attack on the Kurds in NE Syria. We have also seen what you have stated above, SDF/YPG units making deals and pulling out of towns they took from FSA (terrorists). Joint Russian/Turkish patrols have taken over. but the end game is the Kurds and whether they want to continue this facade of independence or re-integrate back into Syria. Turkey will never allow an independent Kurdish state on its border. The ball is in the Kurds court. Re-integrate back into Syria or face 1000’s of Bayraktar’s, F-16’s, cruise missiles and follow up invasion cause its coming. Russia, Iran and even Turkey’s patience is wearing thin. 1000 US soldiers wont save the SDF/YPG.
I believe they did disarm. It was a condition to pulling out of cities where Russian and Syrian forces entered, They certainly did not stay in Afrin, and after years of Turkish occupation there has been no guerrilla warfare there to show that YPG exists in that region.
So, YPG is not in Afrin, not anywhere aling Turkish bordet, not in Kobane region, they do not control Quanisli nor Hassakah.
US forces are in Rumeila, north-eastern tip of Syria, close to Iraq border. That is about 25 km base. Also, US troops are in Al-Tanf, about 50 km close to Iraqi and Jordan border. There are no Kurds there, just some mythical resistance fighters, mostly what is left of ISIS.
But in Rumeilia, there are SDF forces. Even if no Syrian ir Russian forces are there, the area is too small. There is no indication that anywhere in that region there is a large camp of YPG soldiers. They cannot reside inside US camp. SDF small forces are in. So, where are large 100,000 YPG force. Where are they located or operating? SDF recently bragged about some action in Deir Azzor. Interesting, as Syrian government controls the city and surrounding are 2.7 million population.
Such news are try to verify, just to see if territorially YPG or SDF found some wiggle room. Cannot find where — UNLESS it is in something called DECONFLICT zone around Al-Tanf or Rumeila.
Anyway, without or with arms, where are they?
Both SDF and YPG must decide if their sole mission is to be an excuse for US presence in Syria.
From what I understood after Trump’s withdrawal — majority YPG cut the deal with Damascus. They really had no other choice. The question is — will they stay loyal to Damascus, or as you suggest, turn to US to be SDF military wing.
If this what you suggest really come to pass, then Erdogan was prescient in his warning to Assad and Russia — to not trust YPG and to not just disarm but dismantle as organization.
We will see if Turkey really cares about SDF isolated in North-West tip of Syria, or is something more important afoot against HTS.
Biden is known to Turkey as the man who lied on Turkish TV. As Obama Vice President he visited Turkey just after US gave Manbij to Kurds. Turkey insisted Kurds leave the town that has Arab population. Biden went on Tv and wagging his finger insisted that Kurds must go!
Turkey was lied to, while Obama-Biden continued strengthening Kurdish rule in non-Kurdish regions.
That prompted Turkish ultimatum. It was clear that if US was ready to give Kurds land they were not inhabiting — that a nation-building was at work.
Biden is up to old tricks — the question is, can he deliver and will Kurds trust again. Will Damascus trust Kurds again, will Turkey if forced in again — trust to limit its operation as before? Too many questions.
Fake story, 100% B/S.
They’ll all be shot… In the back.