Assad goes to war with Turkey as Kurds strike deal with Syrian tyrant to stop ‘genocide’ hours after Trump pulls out 1,000 US troops
SYRIAN dictator Bashar al-Assad is waging war against Turkey after striking a deal with the Kurds to stop “genocide” at his northern border.
This unlikely alliance was brokered by Assad ally Russia and is a major victory for the tyrant, Moscow and his other backers Iran and comes after Donald Trump pulled US troops out of the region last week.
That move was branded a “stab in the back” by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) who had defeated ISIS with the backing of Washington.
Now, faced with fighting the invading Turks, who view them as terrorists, the SDF has struck a deal with the bloodthirsty Syrian tyrant sparking fears that the country's civil war could explode once again.
Another concern is that 12,000 ISIS fighters held in Kurdish-controlled prisons could be freed as a result of the chaos in the war-torn country.
The war-pact between Assad and the SDF shows how desperate the situation is for the US-loyal Kurds following Trump's decision to remove the last remaining 1,000 American troops from the area.
On Facebook, Kurdish officials said: “In order to prevent and confront this aggression, an agreement has been reached with the Syrian government... so that the Syrian army can deploy along the Syrian-Turkish border to assist the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).”
SDF chief Mazloum Abdi said "there would be painful compromises" with Assad and Russia, in an article for Foreign Policy magazine.
WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR:
- Kurdish forces have struck a deal with Syrian dictator Assad in a bid to stop Turkey in northern Syria
- This comes after Donald Trump pulled the remaining 1,000 US troops out of the region while giving Ankara the greenlight to invade
- This pits Syria and its allies Russia and Iran against Turkey prompting fears of a new Syrian civil war
- Thousands of ISIS fighters are being held in Kurdish-controlled camps in northern Syria
He wrote: "We do not trust their promises. To be honest, it is hard to know whom to trust.
"But if we have to choose between compromises and the genocide of our people, we will surely choose life for our people."
Syria's state news agency SANA said its army was sending soldiers to the north to “confront the Turkish aggression”.
Today, state media said that Syrian troops entered the northeastern town of Tel Tamer which is strategically located on the important M4 motorway that runs east to west along the border with Turkey.
In their statement, the Kurds said the deal “paves the way to liberate the rest of the Syrian cities occupied by the Turkish army such as Afrin”.
Afrin, a majority Kurdish enclave in the northwest of Syria, was captured by Turkish-backed forces in 2018.
Badran Jia Kurd, a top Kurdish official, said the deal with Assad is limited to the army’s deployment along the border and the two sides will discuss political issues later.
The Kurds have set up an autonomous administration in territory they control, while Assad aims to impose the rule of his government across all Syrian territory.
Last week, pro-Turkey fighters reportedly executed nine Kurdish civilians as disturbing footage allegedly captured some of the killings.
In the distressing clip, multiple soldiers can be seen repeatedly firing at a man dressed in civilian clothes on a roadside, with others reportedly targeted nearby.
CIVILIANS SLAUGHTERED
A heartbreaking video clip has emerged today showing a Kurdish woman cradling her dead child whole asking "why have the Kurds been abandoned?".
Released by Kurdistan 24, the footage shows the lady crying while screaming "Where is America?".
The abrupt US withdrawal from the eight-year Syrian war, and the potential return of the Syrian army to the northeast, are major victories for Assad and his allies Russia and Iran.
The Turkish assault has prompted widespread criticism and alarm that it could allow ISIS fighters in Syria to escape their Kurdish-run prisons and regroup.
ASSAD WAGING WAR
Trump has said he is in talks with members of congress to impose “powerful sanctions” on Turkey if its leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan continues to attack Kurdish fighters.
He tweeted: “Dealing with @LindseyGrahamSC and many members of Congress, including Democrats, about imposing powerful Sanctions on Turkey.
“Treasury is ready to go, additional legislation may be sought. There is great consensus on this. Turkey has asked that it not be done. Stay tuned!”
He also promised to send $50million in financial aid to Syria in response to the Turkish invasion.
Who is fighting who?
- The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is fighting the Turkish army in northern Syria
- Assad's Syrian army has struck a deal with the SDF to join the war against Turkey
- The Syrian dictator is backed by forces from Russia and Iran
- Ankara views the YPG - a Kurish milita group within the SDF - as a terrorist group because of its links to guerrillas waging an insurgency in southeast Turkey
- Previously, the SDF battled depraved terror group ISIS with the help of the US
- And at the height of the Syrian civil war, Assad's troops battled ISIS and Syrian rebel factions including the SDF
The region’s Kurdish-led administration said 785 ISIS-affiliated foreigners escaped a camp at Ain Issa.
And the British-based war monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, citing sources in the camp, said around 100 people had escaped.
Turkey's President Erdogan dismissed the reports insisting the accounts from the camp were “disinformation” aimed at provoking the West.
Trump has placed the onus on the Kurds and Turkey to restrain the ISIS fighters and blamed European nations for not taking back their own citizens.
Turkey has said it would take responsibility for jihadis that fall within the “safe zone” it aims to form, but would not be accountable for those outside it.
