The Zone

---

The Turkish President says it is "to prevent The Creation of a terrorist-corridor"

Turkey, the military launched a cross-Border operation against the Kurdish troops In Syria at the beginning of October, after the US troops allied to the Kurds moved in.

After four days of fighting against the Kurds agreed to a deal with the Syrian Government , the Syrian army will be used to help at The Border , the Turkish attack.

These cards can help to explain the offensive and what is happening on the ground.

Who the Kurds are?

Between 25 and 35 million ethnic Kurds inhabit a mountainous region of Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Iran and Armenia. But she's never had a universally accepted, permanent nation state of their own.

Kurds Make Up between 7% and 10% of the Syrian population. For decades, they have been oppressed and denied fundamental rights by President Bashar al-Assad and before him his father Hafez.

Before the uprising against Assad began in 2011, most Kurds lived in the cities of Damascus and Aleppo, and in the three Northern areas near the Turkish Border - in the Afrin in The West , Kobane (Ain al-Arab) in the centre, and Qamishli in The East .

When the uprising developed into a Civil War , the main Kurdish parties avoided to take sides. In the year 2012, Government forces withdrew from Kurdish areas to concentrate on fighting the rebel groups elsewhere, and the Kurdish militias took control in their Wake .

The People's Protection Units (YPG) is the largest militia in North-Eastern Syria

at the end of 2014, the jihadist group Islamic state (IS) launched an assault on Kobane. The battle sparked alarm in The World and a U.S.-led multinational coalition against the IS intervenes with the implementation of air attacks. After the activists retreated to the Kurds was made by The Coalition , the most critical partner on the ground In Syria .

The largest Kurdish militia, the People's Protection Units (YPG), forms an Alliance with local Arab militias, the Syrian Democratic forces (SDF), called in the year 2015. With The Help of coalition airpower, weapons, and advisers, SDF fighters went, IS from a quarter of Syria, and conquered his last bag of the territory of the country in March 2019. They were also "Autonomous administration" for the region.

Why Turkey has an offensive start?

Turkey has long threatened to start a process to create a SDF-held territory, a 32km (20 miles) deep "secure zone" will run for 480 km (300 miles) on the Syrian side of The Border .

It wants to push back members of the YPG, the expansion of the Kurdish rebel group that has fought Turkey for decades and is a name for a terrorist organization - the Kurdistan workers ' party (PKK). Turkey also hopes to relocate in The Zone , up to two million of the 3. 6 million Syrian refugees, which is hosting it.

In an attempt to fend off an offensive, the agreed US and the Turkish armed forces in August, a "safety mechanism" on the Syrian side of The Border – an area that would be free of YPG fighters, but intentionally avoided the term "safe zone". US and Turkish troops carried out joint patrols in the area and the YPG co-operated, the withdrawal of fighters and heavy weapons and the dismantling of the fortifications.

But in the 6. In October, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said U.S. President Donald Trump , a cross-Border operation "move forward quickly", as the White house. Mr Trump replied that the U.S. would not support troops in the field, or be involved in the operation, it said.

President , Donald Trump has US troops ordered from Northern Syria

Three Days later, Mr Erdogan announced the beginning of Operation "peace spring" by the Turkish military and the allies of the Syrian rebel factions. He said she has "to prevent The Creation of a terrorist-bring the corridor on our southern Border , and the peace area".

The SDF said it was determined to be the territory to defend "at any price", but the Turkish-led forces were able to slowly push your way in a sparsely populated, predominantly Arab area between the towns of Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ain in The First Five Days of the robbery. Turkish air and artillery strikes affected a much larger area, including the predominantly Kurdish towns and villages in The West and The East .

in the Midst of the growing chaos, U.S. officials said on 13 October that Mr Trump had decided to begin to withdraw all of its troops from Northern Syria.

hours later, the said SDF, we've reached an agreement with the Syrian Government - a view that is, enter an Enemy - for the Syrian army "and provide, along the length of the Syrian-Turkish Border " and "repel" of the Turkish attack.

What the humanitarian impact is?

The area that is in the Turkey of a "safe zone" fertile plain, which once served as the breadbasket of Syria. It is dotted with dozens of villages and cities, in contrast to the barren, desert regions in The South .

When the Turkish offensive began, the UN said the potentially affected area of the SDF-controlled territory is home to 2 was. 2 million people, including 1. 3 million need humanitarian aid, and two Government -controlled cities, where 450,000 people Live - Qamishli and Hassakeh.

13. October, air strikes, shelling and fighting on the ground had reportedly dozens of civilians were killed and More Than 150,000 forced to flee, the other out of their home.

what are the original objectives of the Turkish attack were.

around 5,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) living at the Mabruka camp, to The West of Ras al-Ain, had the direction of the city of Hassakeh to be evacuated to the surrounding area came under artillery fire on 10. October.

Could fighters and their families IS escape being held?

The United Nations has expressed serious concern for the population in the two refugee camps in Ain Issa, in The South of Tal Abyad.

The area around the camp was the hit of shells on 13 October, as the Turkish forces advanced, to flee, whereupon Some of the 13,000 inhabitants, it said. SDF officials reported that dozens of women and children in the camps, because of the suspicion IS on the left, including British nationals, were among those who fled.

Meanwhile, there were reports of unrest at al-Hol camp, about 60 km from the Turkish Border , and so would not be in Turkey's proposed "safe zone".

IS connected to Some 68,000 people, are arrested in al-Hol. More Than 94% of them are women and children, and 11,000 foreigners.

The SDF says it's holding More Than 12,000 men, believed to be members of in seven prisons. At least 4,000 prisoners are foreigners.

about 70,000 people suspected of links to the Islamic state group are being held in the al-Hol camp

Some of the prisons in areas close to the Turkish Border , including Ain Issa, Qamishli and Derik.

On 11. October, the said SDF, five of the militants had escaped from a prison in Qamishli , according to Turkish shelling in the vicinity, and that a Car Bomb exploded next to The Wall of a prison in Hassakeh, damage.

Mr Trump said Mr Erdogan in front of the offensive, the Turkish forces would be responsible for the backup of detained fighters in areas in which they are trapped. The SDF has said his fighters to continue to guard the prisons and camps, but it is a concern, you could escape as a way into other areas or be forced to, if you are attacked.

kurds, syria, syrian civil war, united states, turkey offensive in syria, turkey offensive in syria, turkey

Source of news: bbc.com