by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Senior U.S. officials told the Wall Street Journal that Turkey and its allied militias are amassing military forces along the Syrian border, preparing for a possible large-scale operation against American-backed Syrian Kurdish forces in Northern Syria.
Officials report that the buildup, which began after the Assad regime’s collapse in early December, resembles Turkish military preparations prior to its 2019 invasion of northeast Syria. The forces include Turkish commandos, artillery, and militia fighters, heavily concentrated near Kobani, a Kurdish-majority city on Syria’s northern border with Turkey.
Ilham Ahmed, a Syrian Kurdish official, urged President-elect Donald Trump on Monday to pressure Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to halt a likely military operation and avoid sending troops across the border.
Turkey’s aim is to “establish de facto control over our land before you take office, forcing you to engage with them as rulers of our territory,” Ahmed wrote to Trump in a letter seen by The Wall Street Journal. “If Turkey proceeds with its invasion, the consequences will be catastrophic.”
“From across the border, we can already see Turkish forces amassing, and our civilians live under the constant fear of imminent death and destruction,” Ahmed wrote to Trump.
Ahmed warned Trump that a Turkish invasion could displace over 200,000 Kurdish civilians in Kobani, as well as numerous Christian communities.
Though Trump won’t assume office until Jan. 20, Ahmed urged the president-elect to use his “unique approach to diplomacy” to convince Erdogan to halt any planned operation.
She referenced a prior meeting with Trump, reminding him that he had promised “the United States wouldn’t abandon the Kurds.”
“We believe you hold the power to prevent this catastrophe. President Erdogan has listened to you before, and we trust he will heed your call again,” Ahmed wrote.
“Your decisive leadership can stop this invasion and preserve the dignity and safety of those who have stood as steadfast allies in the fight for peace and security.”
The United States and Israel have long supported the idea of an independent Kurdistan, driven by strategic interests in the Middle East. Both nations regard the Kurds as a reliable and moderate ally in a region plagued by instability.
An independent Kurdistan could act as a counterbalance to adversarial powers like Iran and Turkey, aligning with U.S. and Israeli goals of combating terrorism and enhancing regional security. Additionally, the establishment of a Kurdish state would disrupt the Shiite axis, creating a barrier that fractures connections between Iran and its terrorist backed factions in Lebanon.
Israel is already seeing the impact of Syria’s collapse, which has disrupted the arms supply to Hezbollah.
Last week, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem admitted that the Lebanese terror group had lost its arms supply route through Syria after Bashar al-Assad’s regime was toppled nearly a week ago by a sweeping rebel offensive. “Yes, Hezbollah has lost the military supply route through Syria at this stage, but this loss is a detail in the resistance’s work,” Qassem said.
Copyright 1999-2024 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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