Turkish military convoy drives through the village of Binnish, in Idlib province, Syria, Feb. 8, 2020. AP
Turkish military convoy drives through the village of Binnish, in Idlib province, Syria, Feb. 8, 2020. AP
Turkish military convoy drives through the village of Binnish, in Idlib province, Syria, Feb. 8, 2020. AP
Turkish military convoy drives through the village of Binnish, in Idlib province, Syria, Feb. 8, 2020. AP

Syria’s northern front getting hotter as Turkey gears up for ‘imminent’ incursion


Ahmed Maher
  • English
  • Arabic

Turkey is stepping up a pressure campaign and military activities in northern Syria ahead of plans to launch a fourth incursion into the region, an alliance of Kurdish-led forces said.

On Thursday, Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) showed footage of what it said were Turkish drone and artillery strikes that targeted the strategic cities of Qamishli and Manbij.

Turkey has not officially commented on the latest SDF claims, but its drones and artillery have frequently struck areas close to its borders and controlled by Syrian Kurdish fighters, according to reports by Turkish media.

Turkish official media outlets said on Thursday that a military incursion into northern Syria was “imminent” and showed a photo of a military parade by its chief Syrian allies, the self-declared Syrian National Army (SNA) , a coalition of factions opposing the regime of Bashar Al Assad.

The military parade is part of the SNA preparations to support the Turkish army in the anticipated incursion, the Arabic service of the official news agency Anadolu said.

The SDF military council and its allies in Manbij vowed to battle Turkey along the entire border and thwart a potential invasion.

For years, the SDF forces have worked with US troops on the ground and a US-led coalition until in 2019 they announced the end to the control exercised by ISIS militants in Syria on the borders with Iraq.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in recent speeches that his government is determined to push back Kurdish fighters who it sees as affiliates to the Kurdistan Workers Party, which is designated as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the US and the EU.

He also announced a plan to relocate about a million Syrian refugees of the more than four million hosted by Turkey, who have fled the civil war since 2011, to what he described as a safe zone in Syria near the Turkish border.

Turkey and its allies among Syrian forces in the targeted region have launched at least three incursions against Kurdish fighters in Syria since 2016.

‘Popular resistance first’

The Syrian president said on Thursday that Syria would resist any Turkish invasion of its land, saying if there is an invasion, there will be “popular resistance” in the first stage.

“When military conditions allow for direct confrontation, we will do this thing,” Mr Assad told Russia Today Arabic in an interview.

“Two and a half years ago, a confrontation occurred between the Syrian and Turkish [armies], and the Syrian army was able to destroy some Turkish targets that entered Syrian territory. The situation will be the same according to what the military capabilities allow. In addition, there will be popular resistance,” Mr Al Assad said.

There have been deadly encounters in recent years, including a series of clashes between Syrian government forces and Turkish troops in northern Syria.

Ankara blamed the Syrian regime for a deadly shelling in March 2020, which killed 34 Turkish troops, and responded with heavy air attacks against Syrian forces using drones.

On Tuesday, Syria’s defence ministry released footage of its airforce conducting a joint drill with Russia, the first since that country’s invasion of Ukraine began more than three months ago.

The ministry said two Russian SU-35 fighter jets and six Syrian MiG-23 and MiG-29 aircraft simulated facing “hostile” warplanes and drones.

It is a common practice that the foreign countries involved in Syria’s multisided conflict ― chiefly Russia, Turkey and the US ― notify one another beforehand through hotlines to avoid accidents in the country’s crowded airspace.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has urged Turkey's allies to understand and respect what he calls Turkey's legitimate national security concerns ahead of a new military operation he has pledged to launch in northern Syria. Reuters
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has urged Turkey's allies to understand and respect what he calls Turkey's legitimate national security concerns ahead of a new military operation he has pledged to launch in northern Syria. Reuters

‘Respecting our legitimate concerns’

Meanwhile, Mr Erdogan said on Thursday that he hoped Ankara's allies would "understand and respect" the new military operation.

“We hope that none of our real allies will object to our legitimate concerns," he said in a televised address.

"We expect our allies and friends to understand and respect our legitimate concerns."

The comments come a day after Turkey's Nato ally the United States renewed warnings against the operation, which it believes risks destabilising the region.

Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf said Washington was "deeply concerned by recent increased rhetoric", and that diplomatic engagement was under way to stop a possible offensive.

“We are completely unstinting in our efforts with the Turkish government to back them off on this ill-considered venture,” Ms Leaf told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during a hearing on US policy on Syria.

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A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
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Qalandars 109-3 (10ovs)

Salt 30, Malan 24, Trego 23, Jayasuriya 2-14

Bangla Tigers (9.4ovs)

Fletcher 52, Rossouw 31

Bangla Tigers win by six wickets

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Pox that threatens the Middle East's native species

Camelpox

Caused by a virus related to the one that causes human smallpox, camelpox typically causes fever, swelling of lymph nodes and skin lesions in camels aged over three, but the animal usually recovers after a month or so. Younger animals may develop a more acute form that causes internal lesions and diarrhoea, and is often fatal, especially when secondary infections result. It is found across the Middle East as well as in parts of Asia, Africa, Russia and India.

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The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick

Hometown: Cologne, Germany

Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)

Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes

Favourite hobby: Football

Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

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MATCH INFO

Everton 2 Southampton 1
Everton: Walcott (15'), Richarlison (31' )
Southampton: Ings (54')

Man of the match: Theo Walcott (Everton)

Nick's journey in numbers

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Flights: 149

Steps: 3.78 million

Calories: 220,000

Floors climbed: 2,000

Donations: GPB37,300

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Blisters: 15

Bumps on the head: 2

Dog bites: 1

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More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
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BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES

SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities

Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails

Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies

Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments

Updated: June 10, 2022, 1:18 PM`