Global InformationTurkish occupation of northern Syria information
Turkish occupation zone of northern Syria | |
|---|---|
  The Syrian Independence flag and the Turkish flag; both are widely used in the zone.[1][2][3][4] | |
Operation Euphrates Shield (2016) area Operation Olive Branch (2018) area Operation Peace Spring (2019) area | |
| Capital | Azaz[5] |
| Official languages |
|
| Government | Provisional government (dual authority of decentralized local councils and military administration) |
• President | Hadi al-Bahra |
• Prime Minister | Abdurrahman Mustafa |
• Minister of Defence | Salim Idris |
| Self-governance under military occupation | |
• First intervention | 24 August 2016 |
• Second intervention | 20 January 2018 |
• Third intervention | 9 October 2019 |
| Area | |
• Total | 8,835[7][8][9] km2 (3,411 sq mi) |
| Currency | Syrian pound, Turkish lira,[2] United States dollar |
The Turkish Armed Forces and its ally the Syrian National Army have occupied[10][11] areas of northern Syria since August 2016, during the Syrian Civil War. Though these areas nominally acknowledge a government affiliated with the Syrian opposition, in practice they constitute a separate proto-state[12] under the dual authority of decentralized native local councils and Turkish military administration.
Turkish-controlled areas of Syria comprise a 8,835-square-kilometre area encompassing over 1000 settlements, including towns such as al-Bab, Azaz, Jarabulus, Rajo, Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ayn. The majority of these settlements had been captured from the Islamic State (IS) and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) groups, both of which have been designated as terrorist organisations by the Turkish government, although some towns, including Azaz, were under the control of the Syrian opposition before Turkish intervention. The Syrian Interim Government moved into the Turkish-controlled territories and began to extend partial authority there, including providing documents to Syrian citizens. These areas are referred to as "safe zones" by Turkish authorities.[13] The occupation has allegedly led to human rights abuses in some areas, including ethnic cleansing.[14][15][16][17]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
idlib whatwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
falling lirawas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ ANF (29 March 2019). "ID cards of civilians replaced with Turkish ID cards in Afrin". Ajansa Nûçeyan a Firatê. ANF News. Archived from the original on 1 April 2019. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
- ^ a b Sarah El Deeb (19 June 2018). "Blurring the border, Turkey deepens roots in northern Syria". AP News. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- ^ "Turkey's Idlib Incursion and the HTS Question: Understanding the Long Game in Syria". War on the Rocks. October 31, 2017. Archived from the original on June 4, 2019. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
- ^ Sydow, Christoph (14 October 2017). "Syrien: Willkommen in der türkischen Besatzungszone" [Syria: Welcome to the Turkish occupation zone]. Spiegel Online. Archived from the original on 28 December 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
- ^ "30 يوما من نبع السلام: "قسد" تخسر نصف مساحة سيطرتها تقريبا.. وروسيا و"النظام" لاعب جديد في الشمال السوري.. وانتهاكات الفصائل التركية تجبر المدنيين على الفرار.. وأكثر من 870 شهيداً وقتيلاً.. وأوضاع إنسانية وصحية كارثية تهدد المنطقة". 9 November 2019. Archived from the original on 2019-11-09. Retrieved 2019-11-09.
- ^ "Fırat Kalkanı Harekatının 216 günlük bilançosu". 30 March 2017. Archived from the original on 2019-11-09. Retrieved 2019-11-09.
- ^ "Bozdağ: Türkiye'nin Afrin de işi bitmemiştir - Politika haberleri". 26 March 2018. Archived from the original on 2019-11-09. Retrieved 2019-11-09.
- ^ Sirwan Kajjo (2 March 2017). "Skirmishes Mar Fight Against IS in Northern Syria". Voice of America. Archived from the original on 13 April 2017. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
Turkish occupation "is an existential threat to the Assad government's ability to reclaim the entirety of its territory, which is a key argument that regime loyalists make in their support of Bashar al-Assad's government," Heras said.
- ^ Robert Fisk (29 March 2017). "In northern Syria, defeated Isis fighters leave behind only scorched earth, trenches – and a crucifixion stand". The Independent. Archived from the original on 28 July 2017. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
You can't mistake the front line between the Syrian army and Turkey's occupation force east of Aleppo.
- ^ Haid Haid (2 November 2018). "Turkey's Gradual Efforts to Professionalize Syrian Allies". Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Archived from the original on 20 November 2018. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
- ^ "Safe zone 'crucial for Turkmen in Syria'". www.aa.com.tr. Archived from the original on 2019-10-07. Retrieved 2019-10-10.
- ^ Rudaw (2020-04-20). "Afrin, Syria: Kurdish population more than halved since 2018 Turkish invasion". genocidewatch. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
- ^ "NYT accused of whitewashing Turkey's Afrin occupation". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
- ^ "'Nothing is ours anymore': Kurds forced out of Afrin after Turkish assault". the Guardian. 2018-06-07. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
- ^ Iddon, Paul (2020-03-19). "Turkey's actions in Syria's Afrin amount to ethnic cleansing - Kurdish analysts". Ahval. Retrieved 2021-11-04.