Medya News
Subscribe
  • Home
  • All News
  • Opinion
  • Kurdistan
  • Women
  • Politics
  • Human Rights
  • More
    • Audio Articles
    • Economy
    • Culture & Art
    • Ecology
    • Newsletter
    • Daily Review
Youtube
PODCAST
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • All News
  • Opinion
  • Kurdistan
  • Women
  • Politics
  • Human Rights
  • More
    • Audio Articles
    • Economy
    • Culture & Art
    • Ecology
    • Newsletter
    • Daily Review
Youtube
PODCAST
No Result
View All Result
Medya News

Journalist: Without international backers, AANES faces severe challenges

11:06 am 11/01/2023
A A
Share this
FacebookTwitterRedditEmailLinkedInWhatsApp

Matt Broomfield

https://medyanews.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/110123-L665-MATT-BROOMFIELD-ALEX-podcast-audio.mp4.mp3

The end of 2022 saw a shift in regional politics in north-west Syria. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) – the current incarnation of the al-Nusra Front, al-Qaeda’s Syrian offshoot – made a move long in the offing. Taking advantage of infighting between the 30 or so militias which make up the Turkish-controlled Syrian National Army (SNA), HTS collaborated with Turkey’s favoured militias among the SNA and advanced from their stronghold in Idlib into Turkish-occupied regions.

The situation has now stabilized, with HTS allowed to retain a security presence in Turkish-occupied Afrin, seized from the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) in a 2018 operation, but withdrawing most of their boots on the ground. The shift in local control feeds into wider regional issues, as Ankara and Damascus tentatively approach a much-discussed rapprochement and Turkey assesses its immediate objectives and long-term future in northern Syria.

Alex McKeever is a researcher who produces a regular newsletter on the situation in northern Syria, while his work with Syrians for Truth and Justice has been covered by Bellingcat and Al-Monitor, among others. He spoke to Medya News to explain more:

What is Turkey’s role in HTS’ recent entry into Afrin, and the shift in regional power dynamics?

Turkey has moved to put the power in the hands of its more direct proxies [among the SNA militias]. It has a relationship with HTS, but Turkey’s strategy is somewhat piecemeal for these areas. It has one strategy for Idlib, where it works with HTS, but in these other areas it has more direct proxies it’s happier to work with…

Turkey doesn’t ever disempower the personalised leadership of these factions, but continues with this warlord system. It has been saying it will turn over checkpoints to the Military Police, [albeit] these are also implicated in a string of abuses, torture, kidnap, detentions… But this would at least create a more uniform system than what you have now, where factions use these checkpoints for financial gain, to arrest people from other factions or civilians.

What is Turkey’s long-term strategy in occupying these regions?

I don’t think Turkey necessarily has a long game. Their direct interventions into Syria, beginning in 2016 with operation Euphrates Shield, have two functions: preventing the connection of the cantons of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, and further walking back the territorial gains of the Syrian Democratic Forces in general; and then also to prevent another influx of refugees into Turkey, which potentially means freezing the lines of contact around Idlib.

People talk about neo-Ottomanism, Turkey wanting to annex northern Aleppo: I don’t think that’s really what they have in mind at all. Negating Syrian sovereignty and the Syrian borders doesn’t really look good considering their forty-year conflict with the PKK…

There are two goals, as I mentioned earlier. Walking back any Kurdish gains in Syria, and preventing another refugee influx.

Might Turkey then accept Syrian regime control to these regions as part of ongoing rapprochement between Damascus and Ankara?

That’s definitely what Damascus wants, and I think Turkey envisages that in the long-term. In the short-term, it’s very hard to see how that would happen. The local populations absolutely do not want this to happen – a return to Damascus would mean a lot of them would be detained or imprisoned, given either personal activities in the opposition, whether civil or military, or if their family members were involved…

But I think Turkey sees it as in its long-term interests to do this.

How does the refugee issue fit into the 2023 elections in Turkey?

Almost the entire Turkish opposition want to see reconciliation with the Assad regime, and what they really want to see is the deportation of 3.3 million Syrian refugees within Turkey as well. So you also have to factor in the campaigning calculus of Erdoğan right now, as he goes through these reconciliation meetings.

The AANES present themselves as a better alternative for governing these areas. Do they have any option besides waiting for Ankara, Damascus and Moscow to strike a deal?

The position the AANES is in right now is very difficult. They don’t really have any international political backers. The US is there, in essentially a pure counter-terrorism capacity. The US is not going to leave any time soon, but it is not there to support the AANES’ governance project, but to prevent the return of ISIS and deal with the tens of thousands of ISIS fighters detained in AANES prisons.

Without a primary international backer willing to support their political claims and support them within negotiations for the future, I don’t see how the AANES is going to be able to expand its control back to areas it formerly governed.

Matt Broomfield is a freelance journalist, poet and activist. He writes for VICE, Medya News, the New Statesman and the New Arab; his prose has been published by The Mays, Anti-Heroin Chic and Plenitude; and his poetry by the National Poetry Society, the Independent, and Bare Fiction. His work was displayed across London by Poetry on the Underground, and he is a Foyle Young Poet of the Year.

Share this
FacebookTwitterRedditEmailLinkedInWhatsApp
Tags: AANESGround operationMiddle eastmilitary operationsSyriaTrendingTurkeyUSYPG

Related Posts

British left to host Öcalan conference

British left to host Öcalan conference

February 3, 2023
Senators urge US President to hold off fighter jets sale to Turkey until NATO’s Nordic enlargement

Senators urge US President to hold off fighter jets sale to Turkey until NATO’s Nordic enlargement

February 3, 2023
Hundred more Yazidi families return to ancestral home in Iraq, thousands remain in exile

Hundred more Yazidi families return to ancestral home in Iraq, thousands remain in exile

February 3, 2023
Ankara slams Western countries for consulate closures, ‘supporting terrorism’

Ankara slams Western countries for consulate closures, ‘supporting terrorism’

February 3, 2023
International figures call for unstinting global support for Iranian protestors

International figures call for unstinting global support for Iranian protestors

February 3, 2023
Three women, three continents, one cause

Three women, three continents, one cause

February 3, 2023

Videos

Medya News Daily Review: 2 February 2023
DAILYSHOW

Medya News Daily Review: 2 February 2023

February 2, 2023

All News

British left to host Öcalan conference

Senators urge US President to hold off fighter jets sale to Turkey until NATO’s Nordic enlargement

Hundred more Yazidi families return to ancestral home in Iraq, thousands remain in exile

Ankara slams Western countries for consulate closures, ‘supporting terrorism’

International figures call for unstinting global support for Iranian protestors

Three women, three continents, one cause

Medya News

Impressum

About us

Privacy Policy

Subscribe
Contact
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • All News
  • Opinion
  • Kurdistan
  • Women
  • World
  • Politics
  • Human Rights
  • Ecology
  • Economy
  • Culture & Art
  • Daily Show
  • Newsletter
  • Authors
  • Podcast

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT

Add New Playlist

Loading
Contact