KOBANI, Syria (North Press) – Walat wonders about the purpose of the Russian-Turkish joint military patrols launched every week for years in Kobani, as Turkish shelling on the city and its countryside continues periodically.
Walat Muhammad Muhammad, 35, who hails from the village of Qara, next to the Syrian-Turkish border, 25km east of the city of Kobani, believes that Turkey wants to send a message to the Syrian people through the patrols they conduct in Syria – that it “will interfere in Syria against their will.”
Muhammad said the entry of the Turkish forces inside Syria was a sorry excuse to portray the region’s security as unstable and to justify future military action.
Patrols
On October 2019, Russia and Turkey declared a ceasefire agreement in return for the withdrawal of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) 30 kilometers south of the Syrian-Turkish border.
Russia and Turkey began by launching one joint patrol every week, alternately between the eastern and western, countryside of Kobani since November 2019.
Since then and up until this day, the two sides have conducted 131 patrols in the eastern and western countrysides of Kobani.
The first patrol faced rejection from the locals, who refused the Turkish armored vehicles entry into Syrian territory. The patrols were often interrupted and were stoned.
Turkey is still targeting Kobani and its countryside via drones, artillery, and warplanes, even though the patrols continue to be conducted.
On August 16, 2022, one child was killed and three others were injured when Turkish artillery shelled the Kobani city center.
In November 2022, Turkish forces escalated their aerial and ground attacks on north Syria, including Kobani. The attacks resulted in the death of 13 civilians and SDF fighters, in addition to 13 government soldiers and the injury of seven others.
Under Scrutiny
Since Turkey’s invasion of Ras al-Ain (Sere Kaniye) and Tel Abyad in October 2019, the city of Kobani periodically undergoes Turkish attacks, whether via drones, warplanes, or heavy artillery. Turkish drones constantly hover the skies of Kobani region.
In August 2022, a child lost his life and nine other children were injured, including a boy from the eastern countryside of Kobani, whose leg was amputated, according to the Human Rights Organization in Kobani.
The final casualties count of child victims for 2021 was ten: five dead and five injured, according to the organization.
Fattah Issa, a journalist from Kobani who works for North Press and has covered all joint patrols since the their inception, said that Kobani, in addition to being observed from the air, “is being monitored by Turkish armored vehicles that are outfitted with HD cameras.”
“We noticed the cameras on the Turkish vehicles. They photograph positions and look for heavy weapons,” the journalist added.
According to Issa, by conducting these patrols, Turkey aims to “create horrifying military environments that lead to instability in the region.”
No implementation of peace agreement
Mahmoud Kobani, a commander in the Kobani Military Council affiliated with the SDF, said that the purpose of the Russian patrols was a ceasefire guaranteed by Russia but “that purpose is not implemented.”
He added to North Press that “the Russian guarantor did not abide by the agreement and allows the Turkish forces to attack Kobani, its countryside, and the infrastructure.”
On November 2022, Turkish forces attacked infrastructure in the city, such as hospitals, schools, and medical points, which affected thousands of people in Kobani.
The ongoing Turkish threats of launching a military operation in north Syria concern the people of Kobani, particularly after the Turkish escalation at the end of November 2022.