Thousands of people have gathered in the northern Syrian city of Derik to give Havrin Khalaf the last escort. The Kurdish politician was murdered on Saturday during the Turkish offensive. The Secretary General of the Party for the Future of Syria (FSP) has been ambushed on a highway, said the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) led by Kurdish militias. Kurdish media report an execution on the street.
"This shows that the Turkish invasion does not distinguish between a soldier, a civilian or a politician," said a statement in the SDF. In fact, in the first days of the Turkish offensive in northern Syria civilians have been targeted several times.
At least ten people were killed Sunday in an air raid on a convoy of civilians and foreign journalists. Meanwhile, the Syrian Human Rights Observatory has counted at least 52 civilian casualties since the offensive began last Wednesday.
The aim of the Turkish offensive is the Kurdish militia YPG, which has so far controlled a large area on the Syrian side of the border. Turkey sees in it an offshoot of the banned Kurdish workers' party PKK in Turkey and thus a terrorist organization.
Video shows murder of a Kurdish prisoner
At the weekend, a video showed how a Kurdish prisoner is being assassinated by Arab militia officers. These fighters of the so-called Free Syrian Army are the foot troops of Ankara's army on the ground. Reports from the region suggest that they are ruthless against the Kurds. And the situation in the border area is becoming increasingly opaque.
In recent days, the Turkish military has continued to advance to Syria. The Ministry of Defense in Ankara said on Sunday that the troops had penetrated 30 to 35 kilometers into the neighboring country and had brought the M4 highway under their control.
The goal of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is first of all to bring control of an area of about one hundred kilometers between the strategically important border towns Tal Abjad and Ras al-Ain. Accordingly, the attacks in the first days of the offensive have concentrated on these villages. However, the information about the progress of Turks and their allies is diverging:
- Ras al-Ain is likely to remain competitive. Although announced the Turkish Ministry of Defense at the weekend, the city was taken. On Monday, however, Kurdish activists said that Ras al-Ain had been recaptured. On the other hand, state-run Turkish media report that Turkish troops are seeking to hide Kurdish fighters in the city.
- Ras al-Ain is located on the Turkish border on an important supply route between the towns of Tal Abjad in the west and Kamischli in the east.
- Also in Tal Abjad there were heavy fighting. Meanwhile, the city should be completely under the control of Turkish troops and their ally, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Despite international criticism, Turkey is continuing to push ahead with its offensive. Erdogan has not been impressed by the threat of US sanctions and warnings from Europe so far. And also on the announcement from Damascus, Syrian troops to send to the border area, Ankara reacted initially combative.
"Should the Syrian army march north-east of Syria, Turkey will resist, and there may be battles with the Syrian army," Erdogan's adviser Yasin Aktay said. In fact, much depends on how far the engagement of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad will go on the border and how its allies Russia and Iran will respond.
Rigorous action against criticism in your own country
Ankara is increasingly isolating itself internationally. In his own country Erdogan refuses any criticism of the operation. The authorities are investigating dozens of war opponents, including the leaders of the pro-Kurdish party HDP, Pervin Buldan and Sezai Temelli. Several people were arrested.
Yet the backbone for the offensive in Turkey has been huge anyway. Only the pro-Kurdish HDP has voted against the offensive. The CHP, on the other hand, is behind the military operation. Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who also took office with the help of Kurdish voters, wrote on Twitter that he prayed for the soldiers. The opposition is now threatened with the split - for Erdogan at least that would be a victory.
