IDLIB, Syria (North Press) – In front of a tent within al-Jazira camps gathering nearby the town of Atme north of Idlib, northwest Syria, the 38-year-old Fadi al-Fakher is surfing news websites on his mobile phone for military and political developments occurring in the region.
Since Nov. 20, Turkey has been threatening to launch a ground operation against Syria’s north, following airstrikes and drone attacks that it has recently launched on different areas in north and northeast Syria, killing civilians and military personnel of the Syrian government forces and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and striking infrastructures.
Al-Fakher, an IDP from the town of Hass south of Idlib, surfs with grieve the internet, wishing that “all these military mobilizations would move on to liberate villages from the grip of the Syrian government forces rather than heading to northeast Syria.”
“We would have been able then to return to our houses,” he said.
Barters
Al-Fakher, like other IDPs and residents of Idlib, fears barters between Russia and Turkey will occur, ending with the latter gaining control over areas west of the Euphrates in turn for the government to be granted areas in Idlib, and the countryside of Hama and Aleppo.
As Russia is working to bring Syria close to Turkey in line with its interests and despite Turkish threats to launch a new military operation on north Syria, residents and IDPs’ fears that Russia’s endeavors become true grows.
On Nov. 24, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said Turkey’s ground operation on Syrian territory would lead to tension in the region and an increase in “terrorist activity.”
This come in a time when many reports say that Russia “does not need to barter cities with Turkey, if it wants to target Idlib, nothing curbs it to do so since the justification is always there to confront ongoing terrorist attacks on the region.”
Al-Fakher told North Press, “Most IDPs residing in camps refuse the Turkish potential ground military operation on areas in northeastern Syria.”
He added, “We hope that these mobilizations head to the outskirts of our villages and cities that have been under the government’s control for over four years. We do not want to be a human shield for Turkey that cares only for its interests, at the end we are mere numbers for it.”
The 48-year-old Akram al-Hallaq, an IDP from the town of Kafr Nabl south of Idlib, said, “Since Turkey accessed into the country five years ago, nothing good has happened. Everyone knows that months prior to its entry as a guarantor state, the regime forces were more than 50 kilometers from Kafr Nabl.”
Al-Hallaq, who is residing in the town of Urum al-Joz in Zawiya Mountain, added, “Months after Turkey’s entry with the aim to prevent the regime forces from advancing, we began to lose areas one after the another. Today, we are living under tents operating as Turkish border guards.”
New displacement
The 41-year-old Talal al-Ahmad, an IDP in the town of Ariha south of Idlib, fears, in case a barter is reached, a new displacement from Ariha, which is the main target for the “Syrian regime” and Russia since it is situated south of Aleppo-Latakia Highway (M4 Highway).
Al-Ahmad fled with his family form the village of Kafr Hamrah west of Aleppo residing seven years ago.
He told North Press, “I have been displaced within Idlib more than four times due to military operations thus fear of any military action either in northwest of northeast Syria is always there.”
Turkish policy “has learnt them [residents and IDPs] that red lines are also subject to purchase or sale,” according to the IDP.
Activists expect that government forces and Russia, in case any agreement reached with Turkey, to take control over Zawiya Mountain and the city of Jisr al-Shughur west of Idlib in order to gain control over the M4 Highway in turn for allowing Turkey to cut new areas in northeast Syria.