By Shella Abdulhalim
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The situation in Syria’s Turkish occupied areas has been a subject of concern and debate. It is widely acknowledged that Turkey has a significant military presence there through backing the Syrian National Army (SNA).
Critics argue that Turkey’s involvement in these regions is primarily driven by its own strategic interests rather than the welfare or aspirations of the Syrian people. One aspect that has raised eyebrows is the appointment of Turkish governors to administer these occupied areas. This move has been seen by an attempt to exert control and influence over the local population.
According the pro-government ” Türkiye” newspaper, it has been announced that a single governor will be appointed, instead of seven, to oversee the “safe Zone” in northern Syria, which are currently under the control of Turkish forces and the Turkish-backed SNA factions.
The newspaper cited informed sources that this appointment aims to “alleviate the existing confusion of authority in the region and ensure a highly coordinated management of relations with Ankara.”
Turkey’s gradual, systematic control
Over a decade since the start of the Syrian war, almost a third of Syrian territory remains outside the control of the central government, the northern and western border areas with Turkey are currently controlled by Turkish-backed SNA factions.
Turkey used the SNA factions to fulfill Turkish expansion projects and military objects by occupying different areas in the northwest and northeast parts of Syria, as they participated in subsequent Turkish military operations.
Turkey promoted the formation of a joint command center for these opposition factions, not only at a military level, but also in order to manage the newly-occupied territories in the aftermath of its successful military operations in Syria.
Turkey has the real power in the SNA-held areas as it was controlling the local politics and exploiting economic resources.
In order to strengthen its control, Turkey has established local councils connected administratively with the nearby Turkish provinces. Since Afrin falls under the governance of the Hatay provincial administration, the M4 strip between Tel Abyad and Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain) is overseen by the Urfa administration, while the “Euphrates Shield” area that includes the cities of al-Bab and Jarablus, is divided between Kilis and Gaziantep.
The councils established by Turkey serve as a superficial cover to justify the occupation. They are closely supervised by the Turkish Ministry of the Interior, while the SNA’s Interim Government holds limited or no actual authority in these councils, where absolute loyalty to Turkey is mandatory.
Centralized governance
By this step Turkey seeks to create a centralized governance in areas it occupies in northwest and northeast Syria, which allows for more efficient administration and decision-making processes, streamlining the management of various aspects, including security, public services, and resource allocation.
Activists and observers argue that Turkey is paving the way for expansionist plans similar to the scenario of the Sanjak of Alexandretta, which was taken by Turkey in 1936, and was announced as a Turkish province in 1938, and now is known as Hatay.
In both cases, the similarities revolve around the Turkish occupation of the areas and their declaration as part of Turkey.
By doing so, Turkey ignores the needs and desires of Syrians residing in these areas. Instead, Turkey acts in accordance with its broader geopolitical objectives, potentially leading to concerns regarding self-determination and the ability of Syrians to shape their own future.
The situation in northern Syria can be evaluated as an extension of internal Turkish politics. An extension that could well end with annexation of the territories to the Turkish state, since the process of Turkification is the military, political, social and cultural norm in the regions of Afrin, al-Bab, Azaz, Jarablus, Tel Abyad, and Sere Kaniye, and is implemented by Turkish- backed SNA and its government.
Turkification
Turkey’s involvement in Syria’s occupied areas has been accompanied by a systematic policy of Turkification. Turkey is taking deliberate measures to promote Turkish culture, language, and identity in these regions, potentially at the expense of indigenous Syrian cultures and identities.
Additionally, Turkification policies are applied to both the economy and education, as well as to humanitarian aid and access to housing.
Several media reports have discussed Turkey’s ongoing and systematic policy of Turkification in the occupied areas in northern Syria, which involve making the Turkish language a core subject in schools and universities.
Turkey opened several schools and centers for teaching the Turkish language in areas under its control in northern Syria.
Not to mention the demographic engineering practiced by Turkey, through building settlements to settle SNA militants and their families, as well as those who were forcibly deported.
Since the invasion, Turkey has promoted the construction of numerous settlement projects in coordination with NGOs from Kuwait, Qatar, and Palestine.
The number of settlements built by the Turkish, Kuwaiti, Palestinian and Qatari organizations in Afrin is about 29 settlements in the village of Sharran, Sheikh al-Hadid, and the town of Jindires, and the village of Bulbul and Rajo northern Afrin, according to North Press correspondents.
Furthermore, the names of the majority of streets and neighborhoods in those areas have been changed to Turkish names, and the use of the Turkish language and Turkish lira has been enforced, particularly in the cities of al-Bab, Afrin, Jarabulus, Azaz, Akhtarin, Marae, Sere Kaniye, and Tel Abyad.
Human rights violations
While Turkey claims it controls sovereign Syrian territory in order to create a “Safe Zone” for IDPs as well as for Syrian refugees residing in Turkish territory, the occupation has turned the occupied areas into fiefdoms where human rights abuses are commonplace.
From the time the Turkish-backed SNA and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, formerly al-Nusra Front) took control of areas in north Syria, they commenced committing violations, crimes against humanity, and war crimes against the people in those areas. They arbitrarily arrested people; tortured, extra judicially killed them, seized property, and imposed royalties on the people.
These practices continue unpunished. Even though these violations have been occurring for over five years, no local or international law has deterred these militants from committing these violations, facilitating impunity without punishment or conviction.
After Turkish forces and Turkish-backed SNA factions invaded Afrin, regions in the northern countryside of Aleppo, Sere Kaniye, and Tel Abyad in 2018 and 2019, they breached human rights laws and covenants. They committed violations and racial discrimination against the original inhabitants, arbitrarily displaced over 700,000 individuals and settled others in their houses, imposed Turkish language on Syrian students in those areas, imposed dealing with Turkish lira, in addition to systematically targeting Kurds, Yazidis, Christians, and people from other religions.
Turkey will continue in forming and shaping a new Turkish border at the expense of the Kurds, Arabs and other Syrian communities if the international communities remain silent without making any real action to stop Turkey from its expansionist projects.