IDLIB, Syria (North press) – Ankara is continuing its military escalation on northern Syria, especially the areas held by the Autonomous Administration in North and East Syria (AANES).
Anyway, the areas held by Turkish-backed armed opposition factions, also known as Syrian National Army (SNA), are witnessing troubles do not correspond to the intentions of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The AANES was first formed in 2014 in the Kurdish-majority regions of Afrin, Kobani and Jazira in northern Syria following the withdrawal of the government forces. Later, it was expanded to Manbij, Tabqa, Raqqa, Hasakah and Deir ez-Zor after the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) defeated ISIS militarily.
Two days ago, the cities of Afrin and Mare’ witnessed protests against the electricity company due to raising electricity prices. The protests resulted in casualties and injuries, burning the company’s building and blocking roads.
The SNA factions also increased the deployment of their forces in some areas in Idlib. In addition, there were protests rejecting the safe zone project and demanding Turkey to go to fight Syrian government forces instead of attacking and launching a military operation in northern Syria.
On May 3, the Turkish president disclosed about his plan to settle about one million Syrian refugees in 13 Syrian areas, which are not the areas the refugees are originally from, adjacent to the southern border of Turkey starting from Azaz in the west to Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain) in the east.
“We are preparing a new project for the voluntary return of one million Syrian brothers who are in our country as guests,” Erdogan said.
On May 23, Erdogan announced taking steps to complete the so-called remained portions of the “safe zone” plan along Turkey’s southern border saying, “We will soon take new steps regarding the incomplete portions of the project we started on the 30 km deep safe zone we established along our southern border.”
Syrian writer and dissident Ali al-Amin al-Swaid said, “Turkey wants to establish a loyal Arab belt within Syrian territory, which will be easy for it to annex without resistance. Turkey has done its best to create this reality.”
The Arab belt is a project carried out by the Syrian government according to a study in 1965, with the aim of emptying the Jazira region (northeast Syria) of the indigenous Kurdish people and settling Arab families from outside the region there.
The Arab belt extended from the Iraqi border, east of Derik (al-Malikiyah), to Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain), north of Hasakah.
The residents of northern Syria are afraid of the demographic change, where they are worried about resettling Syrian refugees in those areas.
They also stressed on the necessity of returning the refugees back to their homes instead of the “safe zone”.
Erdogen’s insistence on launching a military operation to establish a “safe zone” raised fears among the residents of northwest Syria. This pushed them to protest against the Turkish government, especially that they doubt the word “safe”.