Syria’s Afrin Sees Conflict between Turkey’s Role As NATO Member And Protecting Its National Interests

The war in Syria keeps getting messier with every passing week. In the latest development in the fight to control Syria or parts of it, Turkey has attacked swathes of villages in the Afrin region of Syria that border it. Ankara has intensified its offensive in the Afrin region on its border, aiming to drive out the Syrian Kurdish YPG militias that control it. Turkey sees the Kurdish militia controlling Afrin as an extension of the banned PKK (kurdish) group that has fought a three-decade insurgency inside Turkey.

Over the last 48 hours, Afrin city has reportedly been targeted by Turkish air raids, water has been cut off, and the internet severed. More than one million people are now in Afrin city and villages around it after fleeing the fighting, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor group.

Afrin is separated from a much larger area held by Syrian Kurdish forces further east along the border with Turkey, including large swathes of land captured from Islamic State with support from the United States. The YPG has been a key American ally in the fight against the Islamic State in Syria and Turkey’s offensive operation have raised tensions with Washington and European NATO powers.

On Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the Turkish army would soon enter Afrin. He also vowed to sweep away Kurdish fighters from the length of the border. Erdogan also denounced NATO on Sunday, accusing the Western military alliance of failing to back Turkey's campaign.

"Hey NATO, with what has been going on in Syria, when are you going to come and be alongside us?" Erdogan said in remarks to supporters in Bolu, a city east of Istanbul. "We are constantly harassed by terror groups on our borders. Unfortunately, until now, there has not been a positive word or voice. Is this friendship? Is this NATO unity? Are we not a NATO member?"

Erdogan is referring to the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) vow that member states make to one another, known as Article 5: that an attack against any member state will be considered an attack against all member states, and will draw an immediate and mutual response. NATO is an Alliance that was founded by 11 European countries and the U.S. in 1949 which today consists of 29 independent member countries.

Turkey’s objective has put it in direct contrast to U.S.’s objective of building a force to stabilize the region. In January, U.S. had announced plans to help the Kurdish militia form a 30,000-strong "border security force" which was received in Ankara with alarm and anger. Because of possible links with the PKK, Turkey has categorized Syria’s Kurdhish militia as a ‘terrorist organization’ and vows to act accordingly against it.

The YPG too denies any direct organisational links to Turkey’s PKK- an assertion backed by a U.S.-led coalition whose air strikes have helped the militia and allied Arab fighters drive Islamic State militants out of tens of thousands of square kilometres of Syria.

The defeat of ISIS has been welcomed in many parts of Syria and Kurdish militia have staked their right to control the regions in East Syria which had a Kurdish majority population. A report in Aljazeera says that residents of Afrin plan on creating a human chain to protect YPG fighters against Turkey’s assault on the city.

However, it remains to be seen if the U.S. allows Turkey to continue with its offensive or intervenes to protect the force that is vital to maintaining control of huge swathes of ungoverned Syria.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 12, 2018 08:15 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).