capitals (agencies)
German Foreign Minister Analina Baerbock yesterday called on Turkey to refrain from launching any ground attack in northern Syria or directing military strikes against northern Iraq.
On Monday, Turkish officials said Turkish forces needed just days to be ready to launch a ground incursion into northern Syria, which it has been attacking with long-range weapons and warplanes for days.
“I urgently ask Turkey to refrain from taking measures that could further escalate the violence, such as a possible ground offensive in northern Syria or military action in northern Iraq,” Birbock said on the sidelines of a NATO meeting in Bucharest, which was also attended by its Turkish counterpart.
The Turkish bombing operations against Kurdish armed factions across the border in Syria come after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened months ago to launch a new ground attack against Kurdish forces, classified as terrorists.
“Of course, international law applies when it comes to preventing acts of terrorism,” Birbock said.
This comes as Russian forces sent military reinforcements yesterday to areas controlled by Kurdish forces and the Syrian army in Aleppo governorate in northern Syria, according to residents of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
These are the first Russian reinforcements in the region since Turkey launched air strikes ten days ago.
Residents of Tal Rifaat reported the arrival of Russian military reinforcements in and around the city, noting that Russian forces have placed a new barrier on the line of contact separating areas controlled by Kurdish forces and those under Ankara’s control.
In turn, the Syrian Observatory indicated that Russian forces have also strengthened their presence at the nearby Menagh military airport, which is controlled by Syrian army forces.
“The purpose of these reinforcements could be to stop or delay the Turkish operation,” said Observatory director Rami Abdel-Rahman.
The Syrian Democratic Forces, led by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units, have asked Russia to intervene in Ankara to prevent the implementation of its threats to launch a new ground offensive against its areas of control.
And the Syrian Observatory reported that Russian reinforcements had also arrived in the vicinity of the border town of Kobani, while a city security official said Russian forces “carried out a patrol” in the area, accompanied by a helicopter.
Russian forces are deployed in Kurdish-controlled areas near the border, according to a deal reached in 2019 to stop an attack during which Ankara seized control of a border area. Since 2016, Ankara has launched three ground operations, mainly targeting Kurdish fighters, and has taken control, together with loyal Syrian factions, of large areas near its borders.
For his part, Syrian Oil Minister Bassam Tohme announced yesterday that Turkish air raids ten days ago caused “serious damage” to oil facilities, after hitting a gas plant and oil wells in a country suffering above all from the shortage of fuel.
