President Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey will start an operation “to clear the east of the Euphrates from separatist terrorists in a few days” (Reuters)
Separately, at least sixty-eight people have been arrested in raids on the headquarters for the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP) since December 10, according to the party. The HDP said many of those targeted were on a hunger strike in support of a jailed lawmaker from the party (Voice of America)
U.S., Turkey Start Joint Patrols in Syria’s Manbij
Joint U.S.-Turkish patrols part of a plan to reduce tensions between the NATO allies over U.S. support for Kurdish fighters began yesterday in northern Syria’s Manbij, according to Turkey’s defense ministry (Associated Press)
U.S.-Allied Kurdish Forces Pause Fight Against Islamic State
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said it is temporarily halting operations against the Islamic State amid Turkish threats to launch a new offensive against the SDF. The Pentagon said it has reached out to Turkey to “de-escalate the situation” (CNN)
Turkey Targets U.S.-Backed Kurds in Northern Syria
Turkish forces fired on U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish militants east of the Euphrates River yesterday (Bloomberg)
Turkey Detains Ninety People Over Suspected Links to PKK
In an operation across eight provinces, Turkish police detained ninety people with suspected ties to the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Separately, the PKK killed a Turkish soldier in an attack on a military post in Turkey’s Cukurca region (Reuters)
Training for U.S.-Turkish Patrols in Syria Gets Underway
U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said the U.S. and Turkish militaries have begun training in Turkey for joint patrols in Syria’s Manbij, which a Turkish presidential spokesperson said will begin “very soon” (Associated Press)
U.S., Turkey to Begin Joint Patrols in Syria’s Manbij
U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said training of Turkish forces for joint patrols in the northern city of Manbij will begin in a matter of days. The NATO allies currently conduct “coordinated but independent” patrols in the city (Voice of America)
Turkey Dismisses Report that YPG Fighters Completely Left Syria’s Manbij
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry dismissed a report that YPG militants had completely withdrawn from Manbij in northern Syria (Reuters)
Kurdish Militants Attack Military in Southeast Turkey
Kurdish militants launched a rocket attack on military vehicles in southeast Turkey, killing two soldiers (Reuters)
The Turkish military carried out air strikes in northern Iraq, killing ten Kurdish militants (Reuters)
Turkish, U.S. Forces Begin Patrols Near Manbij, Syria
Turkish and U.S. soldiers began independent patrols in northern Syria between the town of Manbij and a nearby region under Turkey’s control, as part of a negotiated deal, according to the Turkish military (Reuters)
Turkey Targets Kurds in Iraq Air Strikes
Turkey carried out air strikes in northern Iraq against more than a dozen targets of the Kurdistan Workers‘ Party (PKK), killing at least six suspected PKK fighters, the head of the Turkish armed forces said (Anadolu)
Turkish ground forces recently advanced further into Iraqi territory, saying over the weekend that they pushed another fifteen miles into Iraqi Kurdistan’s Qandil Mountains (National)
Turkey, U.S. Agree on Kurdish Withdrawal From Manbij
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, in Washington yesterday, where the pair agreed to a road map for the withdrawal of U.S.-backed Kurdish forces from the northern Syrian city of Manbij. The Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) announced today they would begin pulling out of the city (Associated Press)
France’s Macron Offers Support to Syrian Kurds
After meeting a Syrian delegation in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron offered to send troops to the city of Manbij in the country’s north to support local forces fighting the Islamic State and counter Turkish advances on the area, a Kurdish official said (Reuters)
Turkey rejected an offer by France to mediate in the ongoing conflict in northern Syria (BBC)
Erdogan Says Offensive in Northern Iraq Underway
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday that the Turkish military began operations against Kurdish forces in Iraq’s Sinjar, two days after sources said Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants would withdraw from the area. Iraq said no foreign forces have crossed into its territory (Reuters)
Turkish Forces and Allies Capture Afrin
Yesterday the Turkish military and allied Syrian forces took control of the city of Afrin, said President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, after a nearly two-month long offensive against Syrian Kurdish forces there. Almost 200,000 people have fled the Afrin region amid last week’s heavy airstrikes (Associated Press)
Erdogan said today that Turkey may expand the campaign along the entire border with Syria (Reuters)
Turkish Shelling Kills Twenty in Afrin
Turkish shelling on the town of Afrin killed at least twenty and wounded thirty, Kurdish media office reports. A UN spokeswoman in a statement said the UN is receiving “deeply alarming” reports from the Kurdish enclave, saying that the humanitarian situation is worsening and that civilians are prevented from leaving Afrin by Kurdish forces (Associated Press)
At least 30,000 people have fled the area in the past two days alone (BBC)
Afrin Encircled By Turkish Forces
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkish forces have encircled the city of Afrin in northwest Syria and begun a siege; Kurdish sources inside the city deny the area has been encircled (Financial Times)
Eight Turkish Soldiers Killed in Syria
The servicemen died in fighting against Kurdish militias in northwest Syria; thirteen others were wounded. The defense minister said forty-one Turkish soldiers and 116 militants for the Free Syrian Army have died since January 20, when the Turkish operation began (Hurriyet)
Turkey Rejects Calls to Abide by Syria Cease-Fire
A Foreign Ministry spokesperson called a U.S. statement that Turkish military operations in Syria are subject to a UN cease-fire “baseless” (Voice of America)
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that new U.S.-Turkey commissions will address ongoing disputes between the NATO allies when they convene this month (Hurriyet)
Syrian Government Sends Forces to Afrin
The Syrian government yesterday sent forces to support Kurdish militias under attack by Turkey in the northern Syrian district of Afrin; Turkish forces fired on the convoy shortly afterward (Al Jazeera)
Tillerson Meets Erdogan as Tensions Flare Over Kurds
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara as already fractured relations between the countries have worsened over continued U.S. support for Kurdish forces near Turkey’s border. Tillerson said the two NATO allies “endpoint objectives” in Syria are aligned but that they have tactical differences (Bloomberg)
In Brussels, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis met with his Turkish counterpart to discuss the conflict (Wall Street Journal)
Turkey Resumes Air Strikes Against YPG Forces in Afrin
Turkey resumed airstrikes against the U.S.-backed People’s Protection Units, or YPG, in northern Syria, bombing a total of nineteen targets, killing and wounding several people. Turkey reportedly halted its airstrikes after Russia closed the airspace over Afrin after a Russian fighter was shot down jet last week (Associated Press)
Seven Turkish Soldiers Killed in Afrin
At least seven Turkish soldiers were killed and one tank was destroyed on Saturday during a Turkish operation against the U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Unit (YPG) militia in Afrin, marking the worst losses yet for Turkey during its offensive (New York Times)
Turkish Airstrikes Kill Nearly Fifty PKK fighters
Following attacks on that killed three Turkish troops and wounded seven others, Turkish airstrikes killed forty-nine Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants in northern Iraq and destroyed PKK shelters, hideouts and weapons (Reuters)
Turkey Responds to Kurdish Referendum
Iraq and Turkey began joint military drills in southeast Turkey in the wake of the Kurdish referendum vote, and both Turkey and Iran carried out military exercises on their borders near their respective Kurdish regions (New York Times) Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to block oil exports by Iraqi Kurdistan’s regional government (Al Jazeera)