Kurdish Delegation Engaged In Talks With The Assad Regime Over U.S. Objections

US soldier oversees members of SDF in Syria on 21 September (Reuters/File photo)  

The Cradle: Kurdish delegation leaves Damascus on ‘positive’ note: Report 

The US has reportedly warned the SDF several times not to engage in any dialogue with Damascus 

A Kurdish delegation representing the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) concluded a visit to Damascus on 20 January after meeting with several representatives of the Syrian government over the last few days, Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar reported. 

The delegation was headed by the foreign relations chief of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), Badran Jia Kurd, and arrived in the capital on 17 January. 

According to the report, the last few meetings did not result in anything significant, but the “prevailing impression” is that both sides are willing to continue along the path of dialogue, despite US warnings. 

“These are preliminary understandings between the two sides, on things such as Syrian territorial integrity, the national flag, and the presidency of Bashar al-Assad,” it states.  

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WNU Editor: The Syrian Kurds are seeing the hand writing on the wall. The US is being slowly squeezed out of the Middle East, and they better start laying the groundwork to make a deal with Damascus.

Turkey, Iran, And Russia Now See The Kurds As Proxies For The US

Jerusalem Post: Iran and Turkey share common interests in their targeting of Kurds - analysis 

Iran and Turkey are both threatening invasions of areas where Kurdish people live in Iraq and Syria. 

Iran and Turkey are both threatening invasions of areas occupied by Kurds living in Iraq and Syria. Turkey has already sent forces into parts of northern Iraq over the years, and today occupies several Kurdish areas of Syria, while Iran has been carrying out drone and missile attacks on Kurdish opposition groups that have camps in Iraq. 

However, both authoritarian regimes have now increased threats to launch new ground incursions that could cause thousands to be displaced. 

Are Iran and Turkey coordinating their efforts to destabilize Syria and Iraq? While Iran and Turkey sometimes appear to be on different sides of conflicts in the region, they share some common interests. They both have regimes dominated by far-right religious parties: In Iran’s case, a theocratic regime that dates back to 1979, and in Turkey, the AKP Party that rose to power in the early 2000s. 

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WNU Editor: Turkey, Iran, and Russia now see the Kurds as proxies for the US. It looks like US policy to have leverage against countries like Iran, Syria, and Iraq by using the Kurds is about to blow-up. And the big losers will be the Kurds. 

This is unfortunate. Over the years Moscow has repeatedly told the Kurds to do a deal with Damascus. But because of US pressure and promises of support, the Kurds refused. This decision is now going to cost them everything. 

One more note. There is talk of a meeting being planned for Erdogan and Assad to meet and discuss the Kurdish situation (among other things). If this meeting does happen, it will be a signal that the days of US influence in this part of the world is about to end. 

Turkey, Iran, And Russia Now See The Kurds As Proxies For The US 

In an unprecedented moment, Kurds across the Middle East are under attack from all sides -- The Independent  

Kurds: stateless people under attack from all sides -- RFI  

Iraq condemns Iranian, Turkish attacks on Kurdistan region -- Reuters  

Kurds in the Middle East: Why are they under fire? -- DW

Kurds Strike A Deal With Damascus. Syrian Army To Deploy To Face Turkish Military Offensive

The Guardian: Kurds reach deal with Damascus in face of Turkish offensive

Agreement to hand over border towns comes after more than 700 Isis affiliates escape camp

More than 700 people with links to Islamic State have escaped from a detention camp in north-east Syria, as the Kurdish-led forces in control of the area reached a deal with the Assad regime to stave off a bloody five-day-old Turkish assault.

Kurdish fighters controlling the region would surrender the border towns of Manbij and Kobane to Damascus in a deal brokered by Russia, officials said on Sunday night.

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WNU Editor: President Trump gave a hint on Friday that something was in the works when he said that he hoped that Russia would step in to protect the Kurds. And make no mistake about this Syrian government - Kurd agreement, both Russia and the U.S. are behind it. For the Syrian government this is a huge win. They are now able to claim that they have re-establish their authority over a third of Syria. For the Russians this is also a win, though it will damage their relations with Turkey. For the U.S., they can now leave this quagmire and give the responsibility of it to someone else. For the Kurds. They may lose their independence in their dealings with Syria, but they are now safe from the Turks (maybe). For the Turks, Erdogan now has the choice of continuing the offensive and facing a coalition of Syria/Kurds/Russian forces (with no support from the U.S. and European governments), or back down. My gut tells me that he is going to back down, not only losing his credibility with his European and American allies, but more importantly, not being able to accomplish his goal of forming a 30 km. buffer along the border. This is what happens when you act impulsively in the Middle East. You always get burned. I also expect Erdogan to unleash another migrant wave of refugees to Europe as retaliation.

More News On Syria's Kurds Striking A Deal With Damascus

The Latest: Syrian Kurds ally with Damascus in major shift -- AP
Turkey-Syria offensive: Kurds reach deal with Syrian army -- BBC
Syria’s Kurds look to Assad for protection after US pullout -- AP
Syrian army to deploy along Turkish border in deal with Kurdish-led forces -- Reuters
Syrian army to deploy along Turkish border in deal with Kurdish-led forces -- France 24
Kurds Strike Deal with Syrian Army to Counter Turkey -- VOA
U. S.-allied Kurds strike deal to bring Assad’s Syrian troops back into Kurdish areas -- The Washington Post
Kurds find new allies in fight against Turkey -- Sydney Morning Herald
Kurds strike deal with Damascus for gov't force entry of north Syria towns: officials -- RUDAW

Syria Kurds And The Assad Regime Are Hinting At A Partnership

A Syrian boy watches as Turkish military vehicles, part of a US military convoy, take part in joint patrol in Syrian village of al-Hashisha on the outskirts of Tal Abyad along the border with Turkey (AFP)

RUDAW: Syria Kurds, Assad regime hint at partnership against Turkish threat

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Threatened by an imminent Turkish invasion from the north following Monday’s US withdrawal from the Syria-Turkey border, Syria’s Kurds and the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Damascus have separately hinted at possible coordination.

US President Donald Trump appeared to greenlight a long-threatened Turkish operation against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northern Syria on Sunday night, despite the SDF’s role as America’s key ally in the ground war against the Islamic State group (ISIS).

Ankara, a long-time backer of Syria’s armed opposition, appears primed and ready to invade territories east of the Euphrates River, where Kurds have built an autonomous administration of their own – independent of the Syrian regime.

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Update: Syrian Kurdish official eyes possible talks with Damascus (Reuters)

WNU Editor: This is a golden opportunity for Assad and his Russian alliance to step into this vacuum. My prediction. If Turkey breaks its promise with President Trump and launches an all-out assault against the Kurds, which I believe they will, the Kurds will make a deal with Damascus.

Kurds Condemn President Trump's Decision To Withdraw from the Turkish-Syrian Border

BBC: Turkey-Syria border: Kurds bitter as US troops withdraw

US troops have begun withdrawing from positions in northern Syria, paving the way for a Turkish operation against Kurdish fighters in the border area.

Kurdish-led forces have until now been a key US ally in Syria, where they helped defeat the Islamic State group, but Turkey regards them as terrorists.

The main Kurdish-led group called the surprise US move a "stab in the back".

But President Donald Trump defended the withdrawal, saying it was time "to get out of these ridiculous Endless Wars".

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WNU Editor: The White House has been telling everyone since the beginning of the year that the U.S. was going to withdraw from Syria, This announcement today should not surprise anyone. The Syrian Kurds are also not going to wage war against the Turkish army. In fact the Syrian Kurds have been withdrawing from the Turkish border for the past month .... Syria's war: Kurdish forces pull back from border (Al Jazeera). But in the event of war, this is what the Syrian Kurds believe will happen .... What would an all-out war between Turkey and the SDF entail? (RUDAW).

More News On The Syrian Kurds Condemning President Trump's Decision To Withdraw from the Turkish-Syrian Border

Syrian Kurds Vow to Put ‘Own People’ Before Islamic State Fight -- Bloomberg
'Stab in the back': Kurdish forces decry US pullout from Syria -- Al Jazeera
U.S.-backed Syrian force warns of 'all-out war' in response to any Turkish attack -- Reuters
Syria's Kurds stand to lose all gains from US pullout -- Canadian Press

Kurds Make ‘Secret Offer’ to Damascus

© REUTERS / Goran Tomasevic

Asharq Al-Awsat: Kurds Make ‘Secret Offer’ to Damascus

The top commander of the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), Sipan Hemo, has recently visited Damascus and Moscow to make a “secret offer” on the group’s approval to hand over the border area with Turkey to the “Syrian State” in exchange for forming a local administration under Russian guarantees, informed sources told Asharq Al-Awsat on Friday.

The sources said the YPG is aiming to strike a deal on “filling the gap” following the US decision to withdraw from Syria, and to also cut off any Turkish interference in the north and northeast of Syria.

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Update #1: YPG Offers to Surrender its Zones in Syria for Kurdish Autonomy - Reports (Sputnik)
Update #2: Deal with Syria regime 'inevitable': Kurdish commander (AFP)

WNU Editor: If this report is true, the Syrian government is going to accept the offer and deploy its forces along the Syrian-Turkish border that is controlled by the Kurds.  The Kurdish demand for autonomy is going to be a problem.

U.S. Commanders Recommend Kurdish Fighters In Syria Keep U.S.-Supplied Weapons

Reuters: Exclusive: U.S. commanders recommend letting Kurdish fighters in Syria keep weapons

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. commanders planning for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria are recommending that Kurdish fighters battling Islamic State be allowed to keep U.S.-supplied weapons, four U.S. officials said, a move that would likely anger NATO ally Turkey.

Three of the officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the recommendations were part of discussions on a draft plan by the U.S. military. It is unclear what the Pentagon will ultimately recommend to the White House.

Discussions are still at an early stage inside the Pentagon and no decision has yet been made, the officials said. The plan will then be presented to the White House in the coming days with U.S. President Donald Trump making the final decision.

The Pentagon said it would be “inappropriate” and premature to comment on what will happen with the weapons.

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WNU Editor:  This debate on whether or not the Kurds should keep the weapons that the U.S. has supplied to them over the years is pointless. The Kurds are not going to give them back.

Syrian Forces Enter The Kurdish Held Town Of Manbij To Deter A Planned Turkish Military Offensive

DW: Syrian Army takes control of flashpoint town of Manbij after Kurdish militia asked Assad for help to prevent an attack by Turkey in wake of Trump's decision to pull troops

* Pro-Assad forces and Kurdish-led YPG troops have fought elsewhere in Syria
* But Trump's pledge to remove troops from Syria leaves Kurdish forces exposed
* The government and Kurds have a mutual interest in blocking Turkish advances
* YGP requested government help in Manbij, a key city close to the Turkish border

The Syrian army entered Manbij for the first time in six years on Friday, after the Kurdish YPG milita urged the government to protect the city from the threat of Turkish attacks.

A Syrian army spokesman said in a televised statement that the national flag was raised in Manbij, a key northern city about 19 miles from the Turkish border.

The spokesman said the government would guarantee security 'for all Syrian citizens and others present in the area'.

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WNU Editor: The Turkish response has been uncompromising .... Turkey says Syrian Kurds have no right to help from Damascus (AFP). They are also rushing a delegation to Moscow to find out what is happening .... Turkey sends top delegation to Russia to talk Syria (Al-Monitor).

More News On Reports That Syrian Forces Have Entered The Kurdish Held Town Of Manbij

The Latest: Report: Iran hails Syrian troops entering Manbij -- AP
Syria military says it entered flashpoint Kurdish-held town -- AP
Syrian army deploys to Manbij area after Kurdish calls to deter Turkey -- Reuters
Syria war: Pro-government forces 'enter Manbij' amid Turkey threats -- BBC
Syrian army enters Manbij in new alliance with Kurds -- AFP
Syrian army enters Kurdish-held town of Manbij -- DW
Syria army enters Kurdish-held Manbij: state media -- Al Jazeera
Syrian army says it has entered key city of Manbij after appeal from Kurdish fighters -- CNN
Syrian government forces enter Kurdish-held town of Manbij to stop Turkish attacks -- ABC News Online
Syrian troops mass at edge of Kurdish town threatened by Turkey -- The Guardian
Syria troops enter Kurdish town with Turkey military offensive looming -- Middle East Monitor
Russia hails Syrian army entry in key northern city -- AFP
Syria's Kurds: from the margins to fragile autonomy -- AFP

With U.S. Forces Now Leaving, Syrian Kurdish Leaders Look To Russia And Assad

Reuters: Let down by U.S., Syrian Kurdish leaders look to Russia and Assad

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Alarmed by a U.S. decision to leave Syria, Kurdish leaders who run much of the north are urging Russia and its ally Damascus to send forces to shield the border from the threat of a Turkish offensive.

Their call for a return of Syrian government forces to the border, which Kurdish fighters have held for years, points to the depth of their crisis in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump’s abrupt decision to withdraw forces.

While little has changed on the ground yet - U.S. forces are still deployed and Trump says the pullout will be slow - Kurdish officials are scrambling for a strategy to protect their region from Turkey before the United States leaves.

Talks with Damascus and Moscow appear to be the focus for the Kurdish leadership. Their worst fear is a repeat of a Turkish attack that drove Kurdish residents and the YPG militia out of Afrin city in the northwest earlier this year.

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WNU Editor: If I was a Syrian Kurdish leader/commander .... if given a choice between Russia/Assad or Turkish President Erdogan .... I would side with Russia/Assad. My prediction. The Kurds have been in conflict against their neighbors for generations, and they know how to survive. All that they need are weapons .... something that I suspect the Americans are going to leave behind when they leave.

Turkey Continues To Prepare To Attack The Syrian Kurdish Enclave At Afrim

BBC: Turkey targets Kurds in Afrin: The short, medium and long story

Turkey says it is getting ready to launch a massive assault on Kurdish forces on the other side of the border with Syria - potentially putting it in direct conflict with its Nato ally, the United States.

This could be a significant new development in the Syrian civil war, which is now almost seven years old. We've boiled down why it matters.

You can choose to read the short, medium or long story below, either by themselves or one after the other.

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WNU Editor: The U.S. response to Turkey's threats against its only real ally in Syria has been contradictory .... Watch The State Department Respond As US Ally Turkey Attacks US-Backed Forces In Syria (Zero Hedge). In a sign that the Syrian Kurds are becoming desperate as they face an imminent attack from Turkey, they are now appealing to the UN .... Syrian Kurds Appeal to UN as Turkey Prepares to Attack (VOA).

Turkey, Russia, Syria, And Iran Condemn U.S. Plans To Establish A 30,000 Kurdish Military Force In Syria

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

Reuters: Turkey, Russia, Syria, and Iran all bash 'terror army' of US-backed kurds

* Iran, Turkey, Syria, and Russia have all come out against the US's announced plan to back a force of 30,000 mainly Kurdish fighters to operate along Syria's border with Turkey and Iran.
* Syria's president desribed the force as a "terror army," in keeping with a long tradition of calling all who oppose him of being terrorists.
* Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi urged the US to leave Syria immediately.

LONDON (Reuters) - Iran said on Tuesday a new U.S.-backed, 30,000-strong force inside Syria would "fan the flames of war", echoing the vehement response of Syria, Turkey and Russia to the plan.

On Sunday, the U.S.-led coalition said it was working with its Syrian militia allies, the mainly Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), to set up a force that would operate along the borders with Turkey and Iraq, as well as within Syria.

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More News On Turkey, Russia, Syria, And Iran Condemning U.S. Plans To Establish A 30,000 Kurdish Military Force In Syria

Iran adds to criticism of US-trained Kurdish force in Syria -- ABC News/AP
Iran Says Trump Fanning 'Flames of War' With New Syria Force -- Newsweek
Erdogan: we will 'strangle' US-backed force in Syria "before it's even born" -- Reuters
Syria war: Turkey denounces US 'terror army' plan for border -- BBC
Turkish President Steps Up Threats on US-backed Militia in Syria -- Voice of America
Syria denounces US-led coalition 'border force' plan -- Indian Express/AFP
Russia's top diplomat says US not interested in keeping Syria's territorial integrity -- TASS

U.S.-Led Coalition Helps Build New Syrian Force

A Kurdish fighter from the People's Protection Units (YPG) gestures at a convoy of U.S military vehicles driving in the town of Darbasiya next to the Turkish border, Syria, on April 28, 2017

Reuters: U.S.-led coalition helps build new Syrian force, angering Turkey

BEIRUT/ISTANBUL (Reuters) - The U.S.-led coalition is working with its Syrian militia allies to set up a new border force of 30,000 personnel, the coalition said on Sunday, a move that has added to Turkish anger over U.S. support for Kurdish-dominated forces in Syria.

A senior Turkish official told Reuters the U.S. training of the new “Border Security Force” is the reason that the U.S. charge d‘affaires was summoned in Ankara on Wednesday. The official did not elaborate.

The force, whose inaugural class is currently being trained, will be deployed at the borders of the area controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) - an alliance of militias in northern and eastern Syria dominated by the Kurdish YPG.

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Update #1: US-led coalition to form 30,000-strong SDF border army (Daily Sabah)
Update #2: US-Led Coalition Goes Ahead With Training New Border Force in Syria - Reports (Sputnik)

WNU Editor: Such a militia .... backed by U.S. weapons, training, and (probably) fire-power .... will be a formidable force. I guess this also explains Turkish President Erdogan's threats this morning .... Turkish President Erdogan Vows To Destroy The Kurdish Enclave In Northwest Syria. I am also sure that Syrian President Assad is not amused having this force present in the country.

Senior Syrian Kurdish Leader: Syrian War Will Drag Into Next Decade

The Times

Reuters: Syrian war will drag into next decade: senior Kurdish leader

BEIRUT (Reuters) - A Russian-led effort to end the war in Syria will fail and the conflict looks set to extend into the next decade, a top Syrian Kurdish politician told Reuters in an interview.

Aldar Khalil, an architect of Kurdish-led plans for autonomous rule in northern Syria, also said the United States appears in “no hurry” to leave areas where it has helped Kurdish-led forces fight Islamic State, and that he expects ties with Washington to develop as U.S. recovery efforts proceed.

The Syrian Kurds are among the few winners in the almost seven-year-old war, having established control over large parts of the north with a powerful militia that has partnered with the U.S.-led coalition against IS.

Russia, President Bashar al-Assad’s ally, has asked them to take part in an international peace conference on Syria for the first time -- a peace congress scheduled in the Russian city of Sochi on Jan. 29-30.

“Yes we are invited and we might take part in the show but it will not succeed,” Khalil, co-chair of the Movement for a Democratic Society, a coalition of Syrian Kurdish parties, said by telephone.

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WNU Editor: This war has produced 400,000 dead, 1,000,000  wounded, and millions in refugees. The bitterness and anger is going to be there for a long time.

Russia To Recognize Syrian Kurds. U.S. To Protect Them

Kurdish fighters near Qamishli, Syria, last year. The Syrian Kurds say their aim is to establish an autonomous region, not their own state, where their rights are protected, in whatever settlement comes from the long Syrian civil war. Credit Tyler Hicks/The New York Times

Asharq Al-Awsat: Syria's Kurds Reassured by US Protection, Russian Recognition

Commander of the People's Protection Units (YPG) Sipan Hemo welcomed the statement delivered by the US Secretary of Defense, James Mattis, saying that Washington will defend the Kurdish-Arab Syrian Democratic Forces against any attack waged by the Syrian government and prompted by Iran.

According to Hemo, the phase following the defeat of ISIS in east Syria is a transition from military victories to political recognition from the US-led coalition and Russia.

During his visit to Moscow, Hemo was informed by some Russian officers that the Kurdish self-administrations will call for a Syrian national dialogue congress in Sochi, which will gradually establish a federal Syria. His visit came as a response to an invitation from Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu to celebrate the victory against ISIS.

Syrian Democratic Forces, whose mainstay is People's Protection Units, succeeded in establishing balance between two international coalitions. It first liberated regions in the east of Euphrates from ISIS, with the support of the US-led coalition. Then, it formed a joint operations chambers with the Russian army in Deir ez-Zor.

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WNU Editor: If the above report is true, this is a huge political victory for the Syrian Kurds. Russian recognition and U.S. promises to protect them is more than what they expected .... Washington Warns Syrian Regime against Attacking the Kurds (Asharq Al-Awsat). The Syrian government will go along with this arrangement because they have no choice .... they need Russian support. The problem will be Turkey .... I am sure that they are not happy with this arrangement. Iran is also a potential problem, but the growing unrest in that country has shaken the government in Iran, and the Syrian Kurds are probably the least of their worries.

Backed By Iran Damascus Is Now Setting Its Sights On Territory Held by Kurdish-Led Forces In Eastern Syria

SDF forces in Raqqa city on October 17. Photo courtesy of Euphrates Wrath.

Reuters: Assad sets sights on Kurdish areas, risking new Syria conflict

BEIRUT (Reuters) - With Islamic State near defeat in Syria, Damascus is setting its sights on territory held by Kurdish-led forces including eastern oil fields, risking a new confrontation that could draw the United States in more deeply and complicate Russian diplomacy.

President Bashar al-Assad and his Iranian allies appear to have been emboldened by events in Iraq, where Kurdish authorities have suffered a major blow since regional states mobilised against their independence referendum, analysts say.

Rivalry between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), supported by the United States, and the Syrian government backed by Iran and Russia is emerging as a fault line with their common enemy - Islamic State - close to collapse in Syria.

Syria’s main Kurdish groups hope for a new phase of negotiations that will shore up their autonomy in northern Syria. Assad’s government, however, is asserting its claim to areas captured by the SDF from the jihadist group, known in Arabic by its enemies as Daesh, in more forceful terms.

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WNU Editor: The SDF (Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces) are already setting their terms .... After victories against Islamic State, SDF redefines its role (Syria Direct). The Russians are also trying to defuse the situation .... Russia invites Syrian Kurds to people's congress: Kurdish official (Reuters). But the quick defeat of Kurdish forces in Iraq must be emboldening both Syria and Iran that they could do the same thing in Syria. I say this is a mistake. In Iraq, the Baghdad government was (and is) more important to U.S. long term strategic interests than the Iraqi Kurds .... hence the U.S. stayed quiet. But in Syria the dynamics is different, starting with the simple fact that both Syria and Iran are not allies of the U.S. while the Syrian Kurds have proven to be very reliable and loyal to U.S. interests. The key is Russia, and do they have the influence to temper the desire of both the Syrian government and Iran to start another war. My gut says yes .... and we should know the answer in the coming months.