Syrian Government Forces Begin Liberating Afrin Occupied by Turkey

Expert on Turkish-Kurdish issues Karen Hovhannisyan wrote on his Facebook page:

“Al-Mayadeen television reports that Syrian government forces have entered the city of Manbij, located 85 km northeast of Aleppo, accompanied by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Given that this television channel is state-run, one could consider the information to be reliable, despite it not being officially confirmed yet.

This may mark a new phase in the conflict. The Turks did not account for the possibility that the Kurds might reconcile with Damascus, thereby allowing the sovereign state to decide what to do within its borders and who is a terrorist, who an aggressor, and who is the defender.

Thus, the Syrian Democratic Forces and Syrian government forces are launching defensive operations together. It is expected that by morning, these forces will have complete control over several cities.

According to the commander of the Kobani defense forces, Damascus and the SDF have reached an agreement to jointly halt the advance of Turkish forces and subsequently expel them from the country. As of now, Syrian government forces are deploying near the settlements of al-Furat, Arab Hassaneh, al-Dandaliyah, and al-Jamousiyah.

The Autonomous Administration of Northern and Eastern Syria has announced the signing of an agreement with the Syrian government led by President Bashar al-Assad, which was proclaimed this evening. The agreement specifically states: “To counter and prevent this aggression, it has been agreed with the Syrian government that the Syrian army will enter and be deployed along the entire length of the Syrian-Turkish border.”

According to the agreement, the SDF and Syrian government forces will operate jointly, liberating Afrin, which has been occupied by Turkey since 2018.

People in Qamishli reportedly shouted so loudly upon hearing about the successful negotiations between the SDF and Damascus that Turkish forces in Nusaybin became confused, thinking the crowd was coming towards them,” the expert wrote.