Kurdish officials are reportedly asking US President-elect Donald Trump to convince Ankara not to attack
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| Türkiye Expands Military Near Syrian Border Amid Tensions |
Turkey and its military allies are building up their forces near the Syrian border in preparation for a major offensive in Kurdish-controlled areas, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday, citing senior U.S. officials.
According to sources, the troops included militiamen and a Turkish officer, as well as a large quantity of artillery. The buildings are reportedly being built near Kobani – a Syrian Kurdish-majority city on the northern border of Turkiye.
One of the U.S. officials told the WSJ that Washington is now focused on putting pressure on Ankara to stop the border operation.
Meanwhile, Syrian Kurdish Civil Administration chief Ilham Ahmed reportedly sent a letter to US President-elect Donald Trump asking him to convince Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to withdraw his troops.
“Across the border we can already see a buildup of Turkish troops, and our citizens live in constant fear of impending death and destruction,” Ahmed wrote in a letter seen by the WSJ.
The official voiced concern that Turkish cooperation could be imminent, warning that Ankara’s goal appeared to be “to establish real control” in the Kurdish region before Trump takes office in January
According to Ahmed, this could lead to Trump negotiating with Turkey as “the ruler of our region” and the consequences would be “catastrophic”.
Last week, the U.S.-backed Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced the early arrival of Turkish artillery and drone strikes.
In response, US Senator Lindsey Graham warned Türkiye, a NATO member, that it could be targeted by sanctions if it continues to attack US-backed Kurdish forces, which he said had helped destroy ISIS.
“We have to ensure that the roughly 50,000 ISIS prisoners in northeastern Syria – being primarily held by Kurdish forces – are not released,” he wrote on X, adding that while Ankara has “legitimate concerns regarding different groups” in the region, an ISIS jailbreak would be “a nightmare for America.”
Following the fall of former President Bashar Assad’s government to opposition forces led by Hayat Tahrir-al-Sham (HTS) jihadists, virtually the entire western part of Syria has come under the control of the armed opposition, many of whom are supported by Türkiye.
However, the territory in the east and northeast remains under the control of the SDF. Türkiye considers the armed units of the Syrian Kurds to be involved in terrorist activities.