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Syria's Assad regime and its allies have forced approximately 130,000 people to migrate -- through fierce attacks and blockades -- from cities it captured this year.
On the occasion of International Migrants Day (Dec. 18), Anadolu Agency collected data from local sources that suggests that 2018 -- for Syrians -- would be remembered as a year of displacement and forced migration.
Although opposition-held areas of Damascus, Homs, Daraa and Quneitra were all designated "de-escalation zones" (in line with earlier agreements signed in Astana), this did not stop the regime from attacking and blockading them, and forcing numerous residents to leave their homes.
The Syrian military opposition has vowed support for a planned Turkish military operation against the YPG/PKK terrorist group east of the Euphrates River.Spokesman Ayman al-Asimi said the Syrian opposition was ready to fight against YPG/PKK terrorists who occupy regions east of the Euphrates."The [planned Turkish] military operation east of the Euphrates is a continuation of the Euphrates Shield and Olive Branch Operations, which brought safety and stability to the Syrian people,” he said in a statement on social media.“It is an operation that will maintain the integrity of Syria," he stressed.Al-Asimi said the YPG/PKK terrorist group was a “source of international terrorist threat” that blocked efforts to reach a political solution to the conflict in Syria.He went on to call on the international community to take side with the Syrian opposition and Turkey against the terrorist group.On Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that within days Turkey would launch an operation in Syria, east of the Euphrates, near Turkey’s borders, to clear the region of YPG/PKK terrorists.That operation would follow two successful Turkish operations since 2016 to foil the formation of a “terror corridor” along Turkey’s border.In a message to the Syrian Free Army and National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces (SMDK), U.S. officials have warned the Syrian opposition against backing the Turkish operation."Any participation by the Syrian National Coalition or the Free Syrian Army in any way is an attack on the United States and the Coalition Forces, and it will lead to direct confrontation with Coalition Forces and the United States of America. That will fully destroy the relations between the United States and the Syrian National Coalition and the Free Army," read the message."When elephants dance, you must stay away from the dance floor," the U.S. officials said.In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women and children. The YPG is its Syrian branch.*Ali Murat Alhas contributed to this story from Ankara.
Syrian opposition vows support for Turkish op east of Euphrates
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Sunday reiterated Turkey's firm stance against Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) terrorism in Syria.Erdoğan, speaking at an inauguration ceremony of the July 15 National Park in Esenler district of Istanbul, said Turkey is burying terrorists inside the trenches that they dig and will continue to do so in the future.Turkey will soon launch an operation in the east of the Euphrates to liberate the region from the PKK terrorist organization, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced on Wednesday.A mission east of the Euphrates, which Turkey’s leadership has been suggesting for months, would follow two successful cross-border Turkish operations into Syria since 2016 – Operation Euphrates Shield and Operation Olive Branch – both meant to eradicate the presence of YPG/PKK and Daesh terrorists near Turkey’s borders.Turkish army ‘neutralizes’ 10 PKK terrorists in N IraqTurkey hopes to completely wipe out PKK terror group, says DefMinDuring his speech, Erdogan also warned opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu against inviting people to hold demonstrations similar to 2013 Gezi Park protests.“Mr. Kemal, you cannot make anybody to take to the streets. Let me tell you something: Here is neither Paris nor the Netherlands,” he said.In the summer of 2013, a relatively small demonstration in Istanbul’s Gezi Park grew into a nationwide wave of protests against the government that left eight protesters and a police officer dead.Since Nov. 17, thousands of protesters wearing bright yellow vests -- dubbed the Yellow Vests -- have been gathering in major French cities, including the capital Paris, to protest Macron's controversial fuel tax hikes and the deteriorating economic situation.During demonstrations, at least four people have been killed and more than a thousand others wounded.Also in the Netherlands, Yellow Vest protesters took on Saturday to the streets in 16 cities, including the capital Amsterdam, the Hague and Rotterdam, upon calls made on social media by far-right groups.They protested against the government's policies on retirement age, costly health and education services and migration issue.
PKK/PYD terrorists in Syria will be buried in trenches they dig: Erdoğan
Syrians in these regions who remain opposed to the regime were relocated to refugee camps in the country’s north, where they continue to face difficult living conditions.
According to data collected by the Syria Intervention Coordinators, a local NGO devoted to helping civilians, the regime and its allies have forced as many as 128,926 people to leave their homes in the period from March 14 of this year to July 31.
80,000 leave capital
This year’s forced evacuations first began in the period from March 14 to May 10, when Syrians in Damascus' Eastern Ghouta, Eastern Qalamun, Qadem, Yelda, Babila, and Beit Sahm were relocated.
Almost 74,000 people in Eastern Ghouta, a suburb of Damascus, and Eastern Qalamun near the Lebanese border (regarded as a symbol of anti-regime resistance) were forcibly relocated to opposition-held safe zones in Aleppo and Idlib.
With another 9,250 relocated from the opposition-held Yarmouk Camp's Yelde, Yelda, Babila and Beit Sham settlements, the total number of those forced to leave opposition-held areas of Damascus this year has now reached 83,214.
At least four people were killed in a car bombing in Syria’s northwestern Afrin province on Sunday, according to Anadolu Agency reporter.Twenty other people were injured in the attack that targeted a marketplace in the area, the correspondent said.Video: Car bombing kills four in Syria’s AfrinSecurity forces have sealed off the attack scene with rescuers from the White Helmets civil defense agency rushing to the area to provide help to the injured.Meanwhile, security forces thwarted another car-bomb attack in the area.There was no claim of responsibility for Sunday’s attack.Seven civilians had been killed and dozens injured in terrorist attacks in Azaz and Euphrates Shield Operation regions earlier this week.Turkey on Jan. 20 launched Operation Olive Branch to remove YPG/PKK and Daesh terrorists from Afrin.On March 18, Turkish troops and Free Syrian Army members liberated the town of Afrin, on the 58th day of the operation.Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in 2011 when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.
Car bombing kills four in Syria’s Afrin
The U.S. administration has warned the Syrian opposition against supporting Turkey’s planned military operation in Syria, east of the Euphrates River, near Turkish borders.As Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday announced that an operation to clear the region, located east of the Euphrates, of the YPG/PKK terrorists will start "in a few days", the U.S. Administration started a campaign to obstruct the operation.The American intelligence and diplomatic officials began threatening the Syrian opposition, with the U.S. President Donald Trump and American ministers and military officials conveying their "concerns" in phone calls to their Turkish counterparts in Ankara.Syrian opposition backs Turkey’s planned operationYPG/PKK terrorists continue to pose threat to TurkeyIn a message to the Free Syrian Army and National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces (SMDK), the U.S. officials called on them to not support the planned Turkish operation."Any participation by the Syrian National Coalition or the Free Syrian Army in any way is an attack on the United States and the Coalition Forces, and it will lead to direct confrontation with Coalition Forces and the United States of America. That will fully destroy the relations between the United States and the Syrian National Coalition and the Free Army," the message read.Turkey’s planned operation gives hope to SyriansTurkish FM meets Crimean Tatar leader, UN special envoyThe message further read: "US forces and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) [that is, YPG/PKK] are intertwined so that Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) cannot be attacked without aggression and confrontation with Coalition Forces and US forces and advisers.""When elephants dance, you must stay away from the dance floor," the U.S. officials warned.Previously, Turkey launched two successful anti-terror operations since 2016 to foil the formation of a “terror corridor” along Turkey’s border.In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women and children. The YPG is its Syrian branch.‘PKK terrorists to suffer far greater defeat than one in Afrin’Turkey to continue anti-terror ops. in N Iraq’s Sinjar
US warns Syrian opposition against backing Turkish op
35,000 leave Homs
Once the forced evacuations in Damascus were completed, the Syrian regime and its allies then targeted Syria’s central city of Homs.
Following a lengthy blockade, 35,648 local residents were forced to leave rural areas of northern Homs to opposition-held areas in Idlib and Aleppo in the period from May 7 to 18.
The cities of Daraa and Quneitra, meanwhile, fell entirely under the regime’s control in the wake of the evacuations.
Opposition groups and civilians who continued to oppose the regime in Daraa and Quneitra were also forced to relocate to northern Syria.
In line with an involuntary evacuation agreement, more than 10,000 people were forced to leave their homes during the period from July 15 to 31.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the seven-year-long Syria conflict has left some 6.6 million people internally displaced and another 5.6 million seeking refugee status abroad.
Turkey cannot tolerate the creation of small state-like structures led by PKK and its wing in Syria, Turkish presidential spokesman said, stressing that Turkey will take every measure to protect its borders."That poses a direct threat to our national security," İbrahim Kalın said speaking at 18th Doha Forum "Identifying a European Role: Navigating Polarization across the MENA Region."Kalın said Turkey's measures were not just for own interest but also for Syria's territorial integrity.Turkish presidential spokesman said the U.S. presence in Syria went beyond its purpose and became "another theater for proxy games in the region."Syrian opposition backs Turkey’s planned operationYPG/PKK terrorists continue to pose threat to Turkey"They say that now they are in Syria for three main reasons: One is the enduring defeat of Daesh. Number two is to provide stability and secure Syria's territorial integrity and number three is, now they say it publicly, to get Iran and its forces out of Syria," Kalın said.Kalin recalled his last meeting with his U.S. counterpart, during which he reported saying, "Look I can understand the first two goals, but good luck with the third one.""That means Syrian issue is no longer about Syrian issue," Kalın added.On Wednesday, Erdoğan said that within days Turkey would launch an operation in Syria, east of the Euphrates, near Turkey’s borders, to clear the region of PKK/YPG terrorists.That operation would follow two successful Turkish operations since 2016 to foil the formation of a “terror corridor” along Turkey’s border.In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women and children. The YPG is its Syrian branch.Turkey’s planned operation gives hope to Syrians‘PKK terrorists to suffer far greater defeat than one in Afrin’'Where are the Europeans in Syrian fire?'"Is Europe devising its own policies on its own or is it always looking for a signal from Washington?" Kalın asked questioning the European approach to the Syria and Palestine issue."A lot of people think that on key geopolitical issues, the Europe has developed this tendency of looking at Washington what the signal is, what the position will be, and then they take a position or not, they get involved or not," Kalın said.Kalın also criticized the Muslim countries for "lack of leadership" and said like European countries Muslim countries were also silent against Syrian and Palestinian issues.Turkey to continue anti-terror ops. in N Iraq’s SinjarYPG/PKK attacks FSA emplacements in N. Syria"Where are the Europeans in the Syrian fire? We understand that United States has big military and economic power, they naturally enter the game as a powerful player. That's understandable but there are many other things that we can do," Kalın said stressing that the Europeans were very hesitant to be an active player when it comes to political resolution in Syria.Kalın also recalled a Syria summit on October 27 in Istanbul with the attendance of Russia, Turkey, France and Germany."For the first time we brought together Astana group members and the small group members and that produced two important results. One was the Idlib ceasefire agreement which is now an enduring ceasefire. Secondly, the constitutional issue. So, we made progress on those issues. Is that enough? Obviously not, because we still have a lot of work to do in Syria."Turkey helps Iraqi refugees who fled Daesh go home
'Turkey cannot tolerate state-like structures in Syria'
The National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces (SMDK) has voiced support for Turkey’s planned military operation in Syria, east of the Euphrates River, near Turkish borders.In a statement, Abdurrahman Mustafa, head of the coalition, said the Syrian people continue to suffer at the hands of the Bashar al-Assad regime forces, as well as Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hezbollah and the PYD.YPG/PKK terrorists continue to pose threat to TurkeyTurkey’s planned operation gives hope to SyriansAny military operation to eliminate these terror groups "will be welcomed and supported by us," Mustafa said, adding: "We are working with our Turkish ally to liberate all cities and towns from the control of terrorist forces."He also stressed that all the Free Syrian Army members stand ready to cooperate and join in the upcoming military operation."We share this view with the Turkish Republic the separatist projects and terror constitute a direct threat to Turkey’s national security as well as to Syria’s territorial integrity and unity," he added.On Wednesday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that within days Turkey would launch an operation east of the Euphrates to clear the region of PKK/YPG terrorists.Previously, Turkey launched two successful anti-terror operations since 2016 to foil the formation of a “terror corridor” along Turkey’s border.In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women and children. The YPG is its Syrian branch.
Syrian opposition backs Turkey’s planned operation
Regime stops returnees
Aiming to turn the situation in its favor, the Assad regime is now trying to prevent millions of people from returning to their homes by severing their organic link with Syria.
With this aim in mind, the regime has continued to confiscate -- or simply demolish -- properties left behind by those who have been forcibly relocated.
In April, the regime implemented a housing law, known as “Law 10”, according to which it has the right to nationalize the property or assets of anyone who has failed to claim them within a one-year period.
In mid-October, Human Rights Watch said that satellite images had shown regime forces demolishing property without giving prior notice or offering compensation.
As Turkey prepares to launch an anti-terror operation east of the Euphrates River, Syrians living in the southeastern Turkish province of Sanliurfa have started hoping of the day when they will return to their homeland.On Wednesday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that within days Turkey would launch an operation in Syria, east of the Euphrates, near Turkey’s borders, to clear the region of PKK/YPG terrorists.Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Vail Abut, a resident of Syria’s Tal Abyad living in Turkey’s Akcakale district, said he is pleased by Erdogan’s statement regarding the expected military operation.“We expect Turkish army to clear the region, located east of the Euphrates, of terrorists as soon as possible. The day, when our soil is cleared of terrorists, we would return to our homes with Allah’s will,” Abut said.Dozens of people in Tal Abyad had to flee to Akcakale district of Sanliurfa province due to the pressure and violence of YPG/PKK terror group. They have been living in Turkey for around three years.Abut said his relatives near Raqqah were ready to give support to the operation expected to be launched by the Turkish military.Hamed Halit, another Tal Abyad resident, also voiced his support for the planned operation.“We are ready to extend support to them [Turkish military], if they need it after the launch of the operation,” Halit said.“YPG/PKK terror group seized our homes and lands by force. We’ve started dreaming of returning to our home with [Turkish president] Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s statement.”“Only Erdogan defends our rights,” he said.Previously, Turkey launched two successful anti-terror operations since 2016 to foil the formation of a “terror corridor” along Turkey’s border.In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women and children. The YPG is its Syrian branch.
Turkey’s planned operation gives hope to Syrians
YPG/PKK terrorists attacked Free Syrian Army (FSA) emplacements in north Syria on Saturday, local sources said.Terrorists targeted north Syria's Mare district near the Turkish border.FSA forces responded with gunfire and the clash between the sides lasted for three hours.It is said that no one from FSA was killed or injured.These FSA emplacements attacked by YPG/PKK terrorists were in the Operation Euphrates Shield zone.Turkey’s Euphrates Shield and Olive Branch operations in northwestern Syria liberated the region of YPG/PKK and Daesh terrorists, making the return of Syrian civilians to homeland possible.Separately, the Syrian regime attacked some FSA emplacements in Syria’s Al-Bab for 10 minutes.No one was killed or injured in this attack.Al-Bab is roughly 26 miles (42 kilometers) from Aleppo.In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women and children. The YPG is its Syrian branch.
YPG/PKK attacks FSA emplacements in N. Syria