the exodus of 100,000 Kurds, third front of the war between the rebels and Assad

From Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh to Tel Rifaat, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are forced to retreat before the advance of pro-Turkish militiamen. Activists, critical of the promises of “inclusion” that the HTS has boasted so far. On the conflict front, government forces, with the help of allied militias, are trying to repel the advance towards Hama.

Damascus () – In the offensive launched by rebel and opposition groups against the army of President Bashar al-Assad, led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) militiamen who have already conquered Aleppo and are now targeting Hama ( and Homs) with the final objective of Damascus, a third front has opened: that of the Kurds. The fall of the country’s second largest city, once the economic and commercial capital, has pushed tens of thousands of Syrian Kurds to flee eastwards in search of refuge, fearing they will have to abandon lands and villages. which they have considered their home for years. The Kurdish forces themselves are also at play, starting with the People’s Protection Units (YPG) linked to the PKK, an armed group that has been fighting against Turkey for ten years, for years the main supporter and financier of the Syrian groups leading the uprising. .

Before the offensive, more than 100,000 Kurds lived in Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh, neighborhoods of Aleppo that, together with Tel Rifaat, Tel Aran and Tel Hassel, were the main centers where the minority communities were distributed. These areas have been controlled for years by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), but they have been forced to retreat this weekend due to the offensive by groups led by the Syrian National Army (SNA), linked to Ankara, which He even captured Tel Rifaat, forcing the population to abandon the area.

Many of the Kurds who retreated east during the night of December 2 had been displaced in 2018 from Afrin, 30 km to the west, when the city fell to anti-government forces. Since then, they have been dispersed in informal shelters in Tel Rifaat, seized from Syrian rebels two years earlier by Kurdish fighters with the Arabs’ subsequent escape to Turkish-controlled Azaz. Now these Arabs, who were once displaced, intend to return to their villages and cities of origin, triggering the counter-exodus of 120 thousand Kurds – many originally from Afrin – who moved in convoy towards Tabqa.

Bassam Alahmad, a representative of Syrians for Truth and Justice, a group that documents human rights violations, is skeptical about the guarantees and inclusive language that HTS leaders have used so far. “I don’t think the future holds anything positive for diversity in this region,” explains the activist, according to whom “they will try to impose their rule on everyone,” although he adds that Assad’s government “is not necessarily better.” “It is important – he concludes – to point out that neither the regime’s project nor that of the HTS offer protection, democracy or a positive future either for minorities or for all Syrians.”

Since the Syrian revolution began in the spring of 2011 and the subsequent civil war, the Kurdish militias have been able to maintain a certain balance that has allowed them not to get directly involved in the war against Damascus, although without going over to the side of the Government. Now the SDF has to face the offensive on the western flank, with the risk of losing ground to the advance of pro-Turkish forces.

In the past, the regime had entrusted some key points and strategic centers to the Kurds, including the international airport in Aleppo, now in the hands of the rebels, and there is a strong risk of renewed attacks by the cells (until now inactive or largely limited) of the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) or other jihadist groups. According to the latest ISIS threat monitoring report presented to the UN Security Council, the group maintains a force of about 3,000 fighters on both sides of the Syrian-Iraqi border, although the central command is concentrated in Syria. .

Finally, on the front of the conflict there were intense air attacks and the arrival of reinforcements for the government ranks that, during the night, managed to push the rebels back to the outskirts of Hama, whose control could be decisive for the survival of the city itself. Assad. Yesterday the militants had reached the outskirts of the city, which is located a third of the way between Aleppo and Damascus. Speaking before the UN Security Council, Syria envoy Geir Pedersen warned that the situation is “extremely fluid and dangerous”, adding that Syria risks “further division, deterioration and destruction”. And any prolonged resumption of fighting could further destabilize a region already affected by conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon.