Washington Kurdish Institute
September 8, 2018
“President Bashar al-Assad of Syria must not recklessly attack Idlib Province. The Russians and Iranians would be making a grave humanitarian mistake to take part in this potential human tragedy. Hundreds of thousands of people could be killed. Don’t let that happen!” This strong statement was made by US President Trump in a tweet concerning the long discussed military campaign by the Syrian regime, supported by Russia and Iran, against the city and province of Idlib. The Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General on Syria, Staffan de Mistura also warned against military actions in Idlib and called for two of the most influential foreign powers in Syria, Russia and Turkey, to reach an agreement. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also said, “The Turks have outposts in Idlib… We are hoping that this can be resolved diplomatically,” and the European Union (EU) also warned that a military operation against Idlib could lead to humanitarian disaster, given the Syrian regime’s track record of brutality against civilians. All the while, the international media has given Idlib a special coverage, and it has become one of the top topics of international news worldwide.
Idlib is the city capital of Idlib province in the northeast of Syria, and, at present, the Syrian regime’s forces have regained control of most of the province. Since March 2012, armed groups operating under the banner of the Free Syrian Free Army (FSA) and various jihadist groups have fought the Syrian regime forces and their allies, and years of on and off battles have taken thousands of civilians lives and displaced of tens of thousands more. By March 28, 2015, with the support of Turkey and Arab Gulf countries (despite the U.S. objections), Idlib was captured by the jihadist groups, and various self-described FSA groups had embraced Islamic extremism. The defeat of the regime’s forces in Idlib came after the jihadist groups unified against Assad, though this alliance would prove unstable. At the time, the jihadists groups, united by their common goal of establishing an Islamic system of rule (despite their disagreements), created a formidable military force that was able to defeat the Syrian regime’s forces and the regime’s allies. The coalition that led the Idlib offensive, the “Army of Conquest”, consisted of the al-Nusra Front (the infamous al-Qaida affiliate in Syria), ISIS, Ahrar al-Sham, Nouradin al-Zenki, the Sham Legion, Jund al-Aqsa, and other radical Islamic groups. After taking over most of the governorate of Idlib and the city, these radical groups fought each other on many occasions over the wealth, power and the type of Islamic rule they want to implement. The civilians of Idlib suffered significantly due to the disagreements among these jihadist groups as well as bad governance under their rule. For example, in June 2017 fierce fights took place between the formerly allied of the jihadist groups Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) (formerly known as the Army of Conquest) and Turkish backed jihadist groups including Ahrar al-Sham concerning control of border checkpoints. The three-way Russian-Turkish-Iranian agreement over Syria during what is known as Astana talks in December 2016 addressed the situation in Idlib, and, by October 2017, Turkish troops were deployed to Idlib to create a so-called “De-Escalation Zone” to protect Turkey’s jihadist proxy forces and to de-escalate internal tensions in Idlib. The Turkish government and HTS did not clash, though Turkey nonetheless pretended to defend their jihadist proxies who were fighting HTS. While intermittent clashes did occur between these groups, often Turkish forces would not intervene, as indeed Turkey has no ideological disputes with these groups overall since they supporting Turkish policies in Syria, for instance, in the battles that took place the over control of checkpoints in February 2018. The judiciary system in Idlib is akin to jungle law, and is not nearly what the civilians hoped for after the expulsion of the representatives of Assad’s dictatorship. All the while, the Syrian regime continued to bombard the civilians of the region.
Moreover, just north of Idlib, a different tale can be told about the Afrin region. In 2012 the people of the majority Kurdish city of Afrin were able to establish a self-ruling administration in the region following the withdrawal of the Syrian regime’s forces. Despite constant security threats and an ongoing economic embargo, Afrin became the most peaceful spot in Syria, an oasis of stability in the midst of civil war and broader regional upheaval. Prospering under the Kurdish self-ruling administration, Afrin welcomed half a million Sunni Arab Syrians from various parts of Syria who fled from the brutality of the Syrian regime, and hosted some displaced persons from Iraq as well. Afrin’s administration was able to provide a comfortable life for its citizens and displaced guests within the framework of a localized democratic system. The degree of religious freedom in Afrin could not be matched anywhere in the Middle East – Muslims, Christians, Yazidis, and Muslims co-existed and extremists were unable to build a presence and intimidate and control people, unlike the Idlib. Local elections took place, and several female candidates were victorious. The US-backed People’s Defense Units (YPG), who has proven themselves to be the most reliable forces in the ongoing battle against jihadist groups such as ISIS and al-Qaida, were in charge of the security of Afrin region. During the period of self-rule, terror groups were unable to disrupt Afrin’s stability. However, this all changed when Turkey invaded Afrin with the support of jihadist groups, including al-Qaida affiliates and former members of ISIS. On January 20, 2018, the Turkish military launched a brutal campaign against the Kurds called Operation Olive Branch, working alongside jihadist groups to wage a war on the people of Afrin using indiscriminate force, killing many civilians and combatants alike, and displacing tens of thousands. The Turkish military campaign of aggression distracted YPG from their ongoing campaign against ISIS, and strengthened and spread terrorist groups throughout the Afrin region. Just hours after Turkey’s occupation of Afrin began, Turkey’s jihadist proxies engaged in the activities for which they are most infamous: persecution, looting of civilians’ property, racism, oppression of religious minorities, and kidnapping. In Afrin, now the Kurds an all others are under the rule of jihadists, and those who oppose their ideology are harshly persecuted. On a daily basis in Afrin, Kurdish businessmen and other civilians are kidnapped and face beheading, and are released only if they pay a ransom. The region is a new hub for terrorism and, bordering Turkey, it is strategically positioned to act as a coordination center for international terrorist activities.
The international community loudly voicing its opposition to a military invasion by the Syrian regime’s forces, citing the wellbeing of the civilians of Idlib though they have been, for the most part, silent over the past seven years concerning the suffering of these same civilians under the rule of jihadists and Turkish proxy forces. Today Idlib is controlled by terrorist groups, and soon it will fall under the control of Syria’s dictatorship once again. The biggest losers are the civilians. It bears reminding that the world did not issue similar warnings when Afrin was faced with a large scale, unprovoked military campaign and, as a result, Turkey and its jihadist allies were able to change a peaceful region to the hub of terrorism.
Despite the ineffectiveness of these warnings by the international community against Assad, these statements serve to show the world’s hypocrisy when it comes to human slaughter. It also proves that, for the international community, the Syrian civil war is not about the right and the wrong or about creating a democratic system. The proof of that can be found north of Idlib in Afrin.