Turkish military offensive in northern Syria 2019

Turkish military offensive in northern Syria 2019

Part of: Syrian civil war since 2011

__Areas and cities under the control of the Turkish Armed Forces and the Free Syrian Army

date	since October 9, 2019
place	Democratic Federation of North and East Syria
output	Truce (since October 17, 2019)
consequences	November 1, 2019: Turkish occupation of some border areas, partial SDF withdrawal and deployment of Syrian government troops, Russian-Turkish border patrols from November 1, 2019

Parties to the conflict
Turkish armed forces Turkish army 2nd Army Turkish Air Force Free Syrian Army Syrian Turkmen Brigades Ahrar al-Sham Syrian National Army Hamza Brigade National Liberation Front (Syria)	Democratic Forces of Syria People's Defense Units Women's Defense Units Syriac Military Council Tabura Şehîd Nubar Ozanyan Syrian armed forces Syrian army	Observer: Russia   Armed Forces of Russia Russian military police Supported by:  Syria
Commander
Hulusi Akar (Defense Minister) Yaşar Guler (Commander in Chief) Sinan Yayla (Commander 2nd Army) Selim Idriss (Defense Minister) Sayf Abu Bakr (Commander of the Hamza Brigade )	Mazlum Kobane Riad Khamis al-Khalaf	Major General Vladimir Ivanovsky (Commander of the Russian Military Police)
Troop strength
min. 15,000 14,000	60,000 unknown
losses
According to Turkey: (3.11.) 10 137 according to SOHR : (5.11.) 10 240	according to Turkey: (30.10.) 900+ according to SOHR : (5.11.) 295 24 according to SDF : (1.11.) 412
at least 151 civilian fatalities (as of October 31, 2019)

The Turkish military offensive in northern Syria since 2019 is a military operation by the Turkish armed forces in the northern provinces of Syria during the ongoing Syrian war . It began with air and artillery attacks on October 9, 2019 and continued the following day with an invasion of Syrian territory by Turkish ground forces and allied militias. The Turkish leadership called the operation " Operation Peace Source " ( Turkish Barış Pınarı Harekâtı ).

While she described the operation as a legitimate self-defense against a terrorist threat, the attack has been condemned by critics as violating international law . The Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated that one of the things they are referring to is the Adana Agreement with Syria.

Background and history

After rebellions in Syria in 2011 that led to the Syrian civil war , the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) dominated by Kurdish militias (YPG ) and supported by NATO , of which Turkey is itself a member, gained control over the Syrian territories bordering Turkey that had previously been under the rule of the terrorist organization Islamic State . There the Democratic Federation of North and East Syria was established. However, the Turkish government perceived this as a threat, as it regards the YPG as an offshoot of the PKK , which in turn is classified as a terrorist organization, and an autonomous Kurdish state, from the point of view of the Turkish government, could strengthen striving for autonomy in regions of Turkey where the majority of Kurds live . A first Turkish military offensive in northern Syria in 2016/17 was intended to prevent the creation of a contiguous area under SDF control along the Turkish border. In another Turkish invasion in 2018 , Afrin was captured and a security zone was set up.

In December 2018, President Recep Erdoğan announced an invasion of the SDF-held areas east of the Euphrates , but then postponed the planned offensive until after the withdrawal of US troops. This withdrawal was originally supposed to take 60 to 100 days. In January 2019, however , the National Security Advisor John Bolton announced that the security of US allies in Syria would have to be guaranteed for a troop withdrawal. At the end of July 2019, the Turkish government threatened to invade again after talks with the US about the establishment of a buffer zone had failed. According to the request of the Turkish government, this should be 30 to 40 kilometers wide; the USA rejected the invasion plans and, after further negotiations, decided, together with Turkey, to create a coordination center for the establishment of a security zone of still unknown size, which the Syrian government criticized as a violation of Syrian sovereignty. According to the Turkish Ministry of Defense, the zone should also enable the return of Syrian refugees from Turkey - there is talk of the settlement of up to three million refugees - which is why the German weekly newspaper Die Zeit warns of the possibility of displacement and "ethnic land consolidation" as they would have already taken place in Afrin.

Joint US and Turkish patrol in northern Syria on October 4, 2019

From September 2019, Turkish and US troops carried out joint patrols in the Syrian border area with Turkey. However, after a security zone had not been established, Erdoğan announced another invasion on October 5. On October 7th, on the orders of Donald Trump , the US finally withdrew its troops from the area and relocated most of them to Iraq. Although they announced that they would not support the planned military offensive or participate in it, US President Trump is said to have given his counterpart Erdoğan the green light for the offensive in a telephone call - without consulting his security advisors. There was heavy criticism of this in the United States, both from the Democrats and from Trump's own party, the Republicans , who saw it as a betrayal of their own allies. The SDF themselves described the decision as a "stab in the back". Trump defended himself against the accusation that he had left the Kurds in the lurch. a. with the argument that they only fought against IS to get their own territory and did not help the US in World War II either . In a tweet he announced that he would "destroy" the Turkish economy if Turkey should "do something in Syria that, in my great and incomparable wisdom, I consider taboo". He also stated that he wanted to continue to support the Kurds.

course

Fight in the border town of Raʾs al-ʿAin on October 10, 2019

Chronology of the course of the front line, from October 2019
yellow: Kurdish forces
green: Turkish troops
light red: Syrian troops
dark red: Iraq

October 9, 2019 until the ceasefire

The Turkish offensive called "Operation Friedensquelle" began on October 9, 2019. In the weeks before that, the Turkish armed forces had gathered troops on the border with Syria . On the other hand, the autonomous administration of the region called on the "people from all ethnic groups to move to the areas on the border with Turkey to offer resistance during this sensitive historical period".

Turkish artillery and air strikes opened the offensive, and according to the SDF, civilian targets were also hit. In response, Kurdish authorities called for general mobilization . SDF fighters dug trenches, blocked roads and prepared tire stores to set them on fire if necessary so that the resulting smoke would obscure the drones used by Turkey . According to the Turkish Defense Ministry, 181 positions in the border area had been attacked from the air and with artillery in preparation for the ground offensive. Analysts evaluated the attacks and came to the conclusion that the Turks had bombed targets 300 km away and at a depth of up to 50 km beyond the Syrian border.

In the ground offensive that followed, the Turks again relied on members of Syrian Islamist groups, who formed the vanguard of the regular Turkish army under the collective term " Free Syrian Army ". The Turkish Defense Ministry announced on October 10th that Turkish ground troops and allied militias had marched into Syria in the area east of the Euphrates. Kurdish authorities have confirmed numerous attacks and, in turn, stated that they had repulsed an advance by Turkish ground troops at Tall Abyad . American troops apparently arranged for selected IS fighters to be relocated from the Kurdish prison camp near al-Haul in order to prevent the fighters from fleeing in the confusion of the Turkish offensive. Various sides warned of a resurgence of ISIS - including prison breakouts - in the wake of the Turkish attack, which caused the SDF to cease anti-IS operations and move military personnel north. IS sleeper cells have also already launched attacks, and liberated ISIS members could make their way to Europe or be recruited by Turkey to fight the SDF. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees reported that tens of thousands of civilians were fleeing the fighting, and several aid agencies warned of disruptions in aid to 1.65 million refugees living in northern and eastern Syria.

The Kurdish leadership called on the EU and the United States not to abandon them. A statement said: "Those who don't help us support the offensive."

In Manbij , west of the Euphrates, an American contingent was initially still present, and observers estimated that Syrian government forces would try to occupy the city before the Turks should the Americans withdraw. On the night of October 11-12, the Pentagon announced that US troops stationed in Syria had apparently been fired at by Turkish artillery. Turkey denied and defended its approach; the attack was aimed at Kurdish terrorists.

Play media file

Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and Jens Stoltenberg

On October 12, Turkish authorities announced the occupation of the center of the border town of Raʾs al-ʿAin by allied militias. 14 villages were also "liberated". Activists from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported nine civilians who were apparently murdered by militia loyal to Turkey , including local politician Hevrin Khalaf from the Future Syria Party , according to Kurdish sources . The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights asked Turkey to investigate reports that fighters from its allied militia Ahrar al-Sharkiya had filmed themselves doing it.

On October 13th, according to SOHR and Kurdish militias , large parts of Raʾs al-ʿAin were recaptured by SDF fighters. In the village of Suluk near Tal Abjad, however, Turkish troops and FSA fighters have advanced. The number of people displaced by the fighting rose to 130,000, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The UN reckoned that up to 400,000 Syrians could lose their homeland as a result of the fighting. According to Kurdish information, 750 women and children who are close to IS and were guarded by Kurds in the Ain Issa camp fled when Turkish artillery fire fell nearby. SOHR activists put the number of refugees at around 100 significantly lower. On the same day it was reported that the SDF had reached an agreement with the Syrian government to deploy the Syrian army in Kobanê and Manbij within two days to counter the Turkish invasion. According to US information, Kurdish fighters have now prevented American soldiers from removing other IS fighters from prisons guarded by Kurds. In return, the SDF should have pledged to fight for the Syrian government against the rebels in Idlib, also supported by Turkey .

Demonstration against the invasion of Turkey in northern Syria on October 10, 2019

On October 14, the approximately 1,000 US troops still stationed in northern Syria were ordered to leave the country. Syrian government troops moved into several cities previously held by the SDF.

On October 15, according to SOHR, units of the SDF Raʾs al-ʿAin and the village of Tall Halaf should have completely retaken. Proto-Turkish units, however, claimed that the fighting was still going on. The Russian Defense Ministry announced on the same day that from now on its own troops would patrol the Kurdish area. In the north-eastern part of Manbij, Russian military police began work in coordination with the government of Bashar al-Assad and Turkey. Manbij itself is completely under the control of the Syrian government. Two journalists were killed and at least eight others were injured in an air strike on a civilian convoy on October 15. Turkey was by the organization Reporters Without Borders called on the resolutions of the UN Security Council observed between 2006 and 2015 for the protection of journalists in armed conflicts.

On October 16, Turkish troops attacked the city of Ain Issa. Two Syrian soldiers died and others were injured. The US confirmed that its troops had withdrawn from the metropolis ar-Raqqa and the Tabqa dam .

Truce from October 17th

On October 17, Turkey and the US agreed on a 10 p.m. ceasefire . According to the US Vice President, negotiations have been made with Turkey to suspend all military operations in Syria for five days. During this time, the YPG troops are to evacuate the area. After the deadline, the way was clear for the establishment of a Turkish security zone. According to YPG information, however, the withdrawal will only take place from the 100 km long area between Tall Abyad and Raʾs al-ʿAin, while Turkey wants to set up its "security zone" along the entire border, where Syrian government troops and Russian troops are already in part Military police were stationed. The negotiations should therefore continue.

The fighting in northern Syria continued on October 18, despite the Ankara Agreement. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported fighting in the border town of Raʾs al-ʿAin. In a Turkish air strike in the area, 14 civilians died. Turkey and the YPG accused each other of violating the ceasefire. According to the Turkish Defense Ministry, Kurdish militias had advanced against the Turks in 14 locations. The YPG, on the other hand, accused Turkey of deliberately preventing the evacuation of the area, for example by disrupting Kurdish forces in the evacuation of prisoners and wounded. President Erdoğan threatened that "Turkey would crush the heads of the rebels" if they were still in the area declared by Turkey as a security zone after the deadline.

On October 20, it was reported that the SDF had withdrawn from Raʾs al-ʿAin.

Russian military police in Kobanê on October 24th

On October 22, Russia and Turkey agreed to extend the ceasefire by 150 hours, beginning at 12 noon on October 23, and to begin joint patrols in the border region after the withdrawal of SDF troops. On October 23, Russia guaranteed security for Kurdish civilians in northern Syrian border regions. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu had promised the Kurdish military commander Maslum Abdi in a telephone conversation, the Ministry of Defense said. Abdi was grateful for the Russian help. The Russian presidential spokesman Dmitri Peskov advised Syrian Kurdish fighters to withdraw in accordance with the Turkish-Russian agreement. Otherwise, Russian and Syrian soldiers would retreat and "the remaining Kurdish units would be crushed by the Turkish army." Fighting continued during the extended ceasefire, with Turkish and Turkish-backed troops capturing several villages owned by the Syrian army and SDF had been held, and thus initially for a direct confrontation between Turkey and Syria. Even Michael Wilk confirmed the continuation of the fighting "there was no ceasefire. The whole time we had seriously injured, dying and dead people - both among the self-defense units and among the civilian population ”.

On October 31, it was reported that there had been another US patrol on the Turkish border in the far northeast of Syria. Joint Russian-Turkish patrols began on November 1st. Before that, Turkey had handed over captured Syrian government soldiers to Russia. A car bomb explosion in Tall Abjad on November 2nd left at least 15 people dead.

Reactions and criticism outside of Turkey

On October 11, 2019, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu called for solidarity from the other members of NATO. However, outside of Turkey, the offensive is largely viewed negatively, as the Turkish government went to war without a mandate from the UN Security Council. Furthermore, especially in the West, the Kurds are seen as important guarantors of peace in the region. There is also great international concern that the IS could regain strength in a war due to the general chaos. France responded to Çavuşoğlu's demand by threatening to impose EU sanctions on Turkey. The deputy German ambassador to the UN, Jürgen Schulz, warned of a conflagration in the region in connection with the offensive.

Syrian government

The Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad initially rejected negotiations with the SDF. A Syrian deputy minister told the press that one does not speak to armed groups who have betrayed their country and committed crimes against it. One cannot accept dialogue with groups who are hostages of foreign powers in Syria. There will never be a bridgehead for US agents in Syria.

However, on October 13, 2019, an agreement was reached between representatives of the Syrian Kurds and the government. After representatives of the Kurds asked the government troops to return to northern Syria in order to jointly fight off the Turkish invasion, the Syrian government agreed. Since then, Syrian troops have been advancing into the Kurdish area at various points on the front.

United States

Mike Pompeo and Mike Pence on October 17th in Ankara

Sharp criticism of Trump's approach to withdrawing US troops from Syria came from Democratic politicians, but also from Senate Republicans, such as Senator Lindsey Graham , who was “actually considered trumployal” (Tagesspiegel) . He said Trump's position was that of US policy prior to the September 11, 2001 attacks, according to which the US was unaffected by developments in other countries. If he continued like this, it would be the biggest mistake of his presidency. The Republican majority leader in the US Senate, Mitch McConnell, assessed the withdrawal of US troops from Syria as a serious strategic mistake. This makes America less secure, strengthens the enemies of the USA and weakens important partners. "The combination of a US withdrawal and the escalating hostilities between Turks and Kurds creates a strategic nightmare for our country." The US fight against the Islamic State and other terrorists has been thrown back.

Leaders and prominent members of Christian groups in the USA who belong to the conservative camp, such as Franklin Graham , Andrew Brunson , Erick Erickson or television preacher Pat Robertson (co-founder of the Christian Coalition of America ), openly expressed criticism or even condemned the decision of the US Presidents to withdraw troops. First and foremost, they fear that Christian minorities in the region could fall victim to a growing IS if the Kurds were not protected.

On the evening of October 11, 2019, the US Department of Defense demanded the withdrawal of all Turkish troops from Syria. On January 13, 2019, President Donald Trump threatened Turkey with “economic destruction” by tweet if it “strikes against the Kurds”. On October 11, 2019, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin reiterated Trump's threat with the words: "If we have to, we can shut down the Turkish economy."

On October 14, 2019, the US government announced that it would break off ongoing trade treaty talks with Turkey and demand a 50 percent higher tariff on steel imports from Turkey. In addition, the US government froze accounts of Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar , Energy Minister Fatih Dönmez and Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu , the US Treasury Department announced. The Turkish Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Energy have also been sanctioned.

The US economic sanctions against Turkey that came into force as a result of the offensive were lifted on October 23, 2019.

Europe

Demonstration as part of an international solidarity campaign with YPG / YPJ on October 12, 2019 in Berlin

There were demonstrations against the Turkish invasion in various European cities; 10,000 people took part in the protests in Cologne on October 12 and 20,000 in Paris, and there were other larger demonstrations on October 19.

The Scientific Services of the German Bundestag judge that "[i] the result [...] even with a generous interpretation of the right of self-defense, an acute self-defense situation within the meaning of Art. 51 UN Charter in favor of Turkey cannot be identified". “In the absence of a recognizable justification, the Turkish offensive obviously constitutes a violation of the prohibition of violence from Art. 2 No. 4 UN Charter. "It is even possible to initiate" preliminary investigations against the Turkish President Erdoğan because of the military operation 'Peace Source' "," provided the UN Security Council according to Art. 13 lit. b) of the Rome Statute should refer the case to the ICC . "

The European states represented in the UN Security Council ( United Kingdom , France , Belgium , Germany and Poland ) requested a special meeting to discuss how to proceed with the offensive.

On October 10, 2019, the Norwegian government stopped arms exports to Turkey, which was joined in the following days by the Netherlands , Sweden , Finland , France and Germany, which, according to the federal government, has been handling arms exports to Turkey very restrictively since 2016. On October 14th, the EU foreign ministers unanimously condemned the Turkish invasion and called on the EU member states to stop arms exports to Turkey.

In a phone call on October 13, 2019, German Chancellor Angela Merkel called on Turkish President Erdoğan to stop the operation immediately, as the Islamic State was threatened with a resurgence and further destabilization of the region. After the phone call with Merkel, Erdoğan publicly criticized the German arms export ban and asked whether Germany was on the side of Turkey or that of the “terrorist organization”.

International organizations

The Council of Foreign Ministers of the EU met on October 14, 2019 . The ministers could not agree on joint steps by the EU against Turkey. The European Parliament spoke out on 24 October 2019 of a resolution by a large majority for a protection zone under UN supervision in northern Syria. MEPs rejected Turkey's plans to set up a security zone on the border in northeast Syria. The US-Turkish agreement for a provisional ceasefire could also legitimize an occupation of northern Syria by Turkey, according to parliament.

At its October 11 meeting, the UN Security Council proved incapable of taking a decision on the Turkish attack. There was no official announcement after the end of the council meeting. The US representative Kelly Craft announced that Turkey had not been authorized to carry out the attack and would react if Turkey went “too far”. The representative of Russia, Vasily Nebsya, insisted on a broader approach, which should encompass the larger framework of the entire war and not just the Turkish offensive.

Amnesty International accuses the Turkish armed forces and allied Syrian armed groups of serious human rights violations and war crimes during the offensive in northeastern Syria. These include unlawful attacks on residential areas in which civilians were killed and wounded.

The General Secretary of the Arab League , Aboul Gheit , described Turkey's plans to create a security strip in which refugees housed in Turkey are to be settled as possible ethnic cleansing and also criticized the use of refugees as a threat against Europe.

Reactions within Turkey

Parties

The operation was largely supported by the larger (opposition) parties represented in the Turkish parliament . The HDP, on the other hand, condemned the operation, calling it an "extremely dangerous and wrong step". The party leaders Meral Akşener , Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and Devlet Bahçeli were informed by Erdoğan immediately after the start of the event. However, the CHP and IYI spoke out in favor of seeking dialogue with Assad and also criticized Erdoğan's foreign policy. On October 14, 2019, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar met with the party leaders of the CHP, MHP and IYI and informed them about the progress.

Reactions of the Turkish state to criticism

A journalist for the daily BirGün was arrested for sedition after he reported critically on the offensive and named civilian casualties.

At the beginning of the offensive, the Turkish authorities initiated around 80 preliminary investigations against persons alleged to have spread “hostile propaganda”. Shortly afterwards, the editor-in-chief of the Internet newspaper Diken , which had reported on it, was arrested. By October 11, the number of arrests rose to 121 and the number of preliminary investigations to almost 500. By October 15, four mayors of the pro-Kurdish HDP had also been arrested on "suspicion of terrorism".

President Erdoğan has repeatedly threatened to open the Turkish borders to Europe for Syrian refugees if the EU tries to portray the military offensive as an invasion .

Expression of sympathy for Turkish footballers

After completing a match against Albania in the 2020 European Championship qualification on October 11, 2019 in the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium in Istanbul , the Turkish national soccer team lined up in front of their fans and collectively showed the military salute as an expression of support for the offensive in northern Syria. The Turkish international Cenk Tosun posted a photo of this on the Instagram platform with a clear support comment , which was liked by the German national players Emre Can and İlkay Gündoğan . Later both of them withdrew their likes after there was great public outrage.

The topic spilled over to German amateur football because it immediately found imitators in the lower leagues. The state associations feared an escalation and warned across the board of further imitators.

Effects

Geopolitical Impact

A crucial role in triggering the Turkish offensive is attributed to US President Donald Trump, who apparently acted impulsively when he gave the Turkish President Recep Erdoğan the green light for his mission in northern Syria. Both Russia and Iran had urged the Turkish president to exercise restraint, but, as the British journalist Patrick Wintour concluded in the Guardian at the beginning of the Turkish offensive, they would not let the impulsive action of the US president slip by. Vladimir Putin will at least insist on exploiting Trump's action, which is seen as a US betrayal of the Kurds, to show other US allies that the Americans will abandon them as soon as things get serious. Wintour referred in particular to Saudi Arabia , which is in conflict with Iran, an ally of Russia. Putin could also strive for a solution to the overall conflict and conclude the “deal of the century” between Assad's Syria, Turkey and the Kurds without US interference. Based on the then revived Adana Agreement between Syria and Turkey of 1998, the government of Bashar al-Assad could issue security guarantees for Turkey against PKK attacks from Syria, an option that Putin had been promoting for years. The USA, on the other hand, did not recognize that, since the time of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Turkey has had a strong interest in ensuring that there is no form of Kurdish statehood in Turkey and south-east of its borders.

The situation from the point of view of the European states was discussed in the program Anne Will on October 20, 2019. The statements that one problem was that the vast majority of politicians in Europe, but also in the USA, had an interest in Turkey remaining a member of NATO and no longer drawing closer to Russia were not contradicted. The EU states could also be blackmailed by the fact that Turkey could terminate or ignore the EU-Turkey agreement of March 18, 2016 and send millions of refugees from Syria on their way to EU states. On the other hand, Turkey is actually economically ruinable if the USA and other western states impose economic sanctions on it. Indeed, after Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo traveled to Turkey, the value of the Turkish lira increased against the US dollar .

Andreas Rüesch concluded from the failure of the meeting of the EU Council of Ministers on October 14 in the Neue Zürcher Zeitung that the USA was not to be blamed for the chaos. At the beginning of 2019, the Americans had advertised a zone in northern Syria guarded by western troops, but that only met with disinterest in Europe. Nevertheless, the damage to American credibility from the hasty withdrawal is considerable. The government of Bashar al-Assad could now take over large parts of the country, including important oil sources, from the SDF and bring them under their control. Ultimately, the area occupied by Turkish troops would probably also fall back to Assad, as he could now guarantee that there would be no Kurdish state on the Turkish border. Rüesch, like other commentators, sees the triumph in Russia: it was possible to drive the Americans out of the country, to humiliate them internationally and to isolate Turkey politically.

Refugees and number of victims

On October 11, the Turkish Ministry of Defense reported that 277 Kurdish fighters and one Turkish soldier had been killed so far. The Turkish army took seven border villages that were said to have been almost deserted when they arrived. The UN Human Rights Office announced that Turkish troops and militias close to them were carrying out attacks on civilian targets such as water supplies and power plants. By October 17, the fighting had displaced around 300,000 people.

The role of IS and concern about its resurgence

There are around 50 prisons in northeast Syria, within the buffer zone that Turkey intends to occupy in Syria. 11,000 IS fighters are in custody there, around 9,000 of whom are Syrian or Iraqi citizens.

In addition, there are another 73,000 members of IS fighters, women and children who are in the area, about 63,000 of them Syrians and Iraqis.

According to Syrian Kurds, more than 800 foreign fighters escaped from the prison in Ain Issa at the start of the offensive. US troops arranged for selected IS fighters to be moved from the Kurdish prison camp near al-Haul.

See also

• Turkish security zone in northern Syria

Web links

Commons : Turkish Military Offensive in Northern Syria 2019  - Pictures, Videos and Audio Files Collection

Individual evidence

1. ↑ 'The border is on fire': Turkey's ground forces battle Syria's Kurds near Tal Abyad . In: The Defense Post , October 10, 2019. Retrieved October 11, 2019. 
2. ↑ Armenian battalion takes part in defense of Serêkaniyê. October 13, 2019, accessed October 14, 2019 . 
3. ↑ Kurds forge a desperate deal with Assad's army. Spiegel Online , October 14, 2019, accessed October 14, 2019 .  
4. ↑ Syrian Army to enter strategic city in Raqqa for first time since 2014 . October 14, 2019.
5. ↑ Ben Hubbard, Carlotta Gall and Eric Schmitt: Militia Commander Says It Will Attack Turkish Forces if They Enter Syria. New York Times, October 8, 2019.
6. ↑ Пентагон заявил об отсутствии у США обязательств воевать за курдов :: Политика :: РБК . October 13, 2019.
7. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Turkey begins ground offensive in northeastern Syria. In: aljazeera.com , October 10, 2019 (English).
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11. ↑ ^{a b} Clashes continue in several areas at Abu Rasin and Ayn Issa countryside, raising to about 570, the death toll of SDF, the regime forces, and the Turkish Forces and the factions loyal to them since the beginning of "Peace Spring" Operation . In: SOHR . November 5, 2019, accessed November 5, 2019 . 
12. ↑ Erdoğan'dan flaş ABD ziyareti açıklaması! 'Henüz karar vermedim'. ABCGazetesi, October 30, 2019, accessed November 5, 2019 (Turkish). 
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14. ↑ Turkey does not have international law on its side. ZEIT ONLINE , October 11, 2019, accessed on October 11, 2019 . 
15. ↑ Clearly contrary to international law. The daily newspaper , October 18, 2019, accessed on October 18, 2019 . 
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24. ↑ Syria condemns US and Turkey plan for buffer zone. ZEIT ONLINE , August 8, 2019, accessed on October 9, 2019 .  
25. ↑ "This will be an ethnocide". ZEIT ONLINE , October 8, 2019, accessed on October 12, 2019 . 
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29. ↑ Recep Tayyip Erdoğan threatens military operations in Syria. ZEIT ONLINE , October 5, 2019, accessed on October 9, 2019 .  
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32. ^ Chaos in Syria, Washington after Trump call with Erdogan unleashed Turkish military. nbcnews.com, October 8, 2019.
33. ↑ ^{a b} "Trump betrayed the Kurds". Retrieved October 13, 2019 . 
34. ↑ "Stab in the back of the Kurds". The daily newspaper , October 8, 2019, accessed on October 9, 2019 . 
35. ↑ Donald Trump threatens to destroy the Turkish economy. ZEIT ONLINE , October 7, 2019, accessed on October 9, 2019 .  
36. ↑ Donald Trump pledges support for the Kurds. ZEIT ONLINE , October 8, 2019, accessed October 9, 2019 .  
37. ↑ Turkey begins offensive against Kurds. ZEIT ONLINE , October 9, 2019, accessed on October 9, 2019 .  
38. ↑ Kurds prepare against attack. tagesschau.de , October 9, 2019, accessed October 9, 2019 . 
39. ^ Syrian Kurds announce general mobilization against offensive by Turkey. Welt.de , October 9, 2019, accessed on October 9, 2019 .  
40. ^ Turkey launches military offensive in northern Syria. Deutsche Welle , October 9, 2019, accessed on October 9, 2019 .  
41. ↑ Bethan McKernan, Julian Borger: Turkey launches military operation in northern Syria. In: The Guardian . October 9, 2019 (English).
42. ^ ^{A b} Tessa Fox: Turkey military operation much larger than anticipated: Analysts. In: aljazeera.com , October 10, 2019 (English).
43. ^ Jürgen Gottschlich: Turkey's air and ground offensive: Dozens of dead in Syria invasion. TAZ, October 10, 2019.
44. ^ Turkey's attack on Syria stokes fears of mass Isis prison break. The Independent , October 10, 2019, accessed October 10, 2019 . 
45. ↑ Fear of the jihadists. ZEIT ONLINE , October 10, 2019, accessed on October 10, 2019 .  
46. ^ Tens of thousands of civilians flee Turkish offensive in Syria. The Guardian , October 10, 2019, accessed October 10, 2019 .  
47. ↑ Turkey is apparently firing at US troops. In: tagesschau.de , October 12, 2019.
48. ↑ USA accuses Turkey of shelling American troops. In: SZ.de , October 12, 2019.
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53. ^ The SDF regain the control of Ras Al-Ayn city almost completely after a counter attack in which 17 members of the pro-Turkey factions were killed. SOHR , October 13, 2019, accessed on October 13, 2019 . 
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57. ↑ Ben Hubbard, Charlie Savage, Eric Schmitt and Patrick Kingsley: Abandoned by US in Syria, Kurds Find New Ally in American Foe. In: nytimes.com , October 13, 2019 (English).
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59. ↑ US troops are to withdraw from northern Syria. ZEIT ONLINE , October 14, 2019, accessed on October 14, 2019 . 
60. ↑ US forces try to hinder the deployment of the Russian force and regime forces in the area separating between Manbij Military Council and the factions of “Euphrates Shield”. SOHR , October 14, 2019, accessed on October 14, 2019 . 
61. ↑ Kurdish militias are said to have recaptured the border town. spiegel.de, October 15, 2019.
62. ^ Carlotta Gall and Patrick Kingsley: Russia Says Its Troops Are Patrolling Between Turkish and Syrian Forces. New York Times, October 15, 2019.
63. ↑ Two journalists die in a Turkish air attack on a civilian convoy. t.online.de, October 15, 2019.
64. ↑ Deaths in skirmishes between Assad troops and Turkey. Die Welt, October 16, 2019.
65. ^ US Coalition: Forces Have Left Syrian Cities of Raqqa, Tabqah, Lafarge Factory. New York Times, October 16, 2019.
66. ↑ Agreement with Turkey: USA announces ceasefire in northern Syria . In: tagesschau.de , October 17, 2019.
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68. ↑ Turkey and USA agree ceasefire in northern Syria. In: Der Tagesspiegel . October 17, 2019, accessed October 17, 2019 . 
69. ^ Diplomatic victory for Erdogan. The daily newspaper , October 18, 2019, accessed on October 18, 2019 . 
70. ↑ The ceasefire in northern Syria does not last everywhere. Retrieved October 19, 2019 . 
71. ^ War in northern Syria: dead despite ceasefire. tagesschau.de, October 19, 2019.
72. ↑ Kurdish militias begin to withdraw. The daily newspaper , October 20, 2019, accessed on October 20, 2019 . 
73. ↑ Putin and Erdoğan agree on joint patrols. ZEIT ONLINE , October 22, 2019, accessed on October 22, 2019 . 
74. ↑ Northern Syria: Russia assures Kurds security. tagesschau.de, October 24, 2019.
75. ^ Turkish and Kurdish Forces Said to Clash in Syria. The New York Times , October 24, 2019, accessed October 29, 2019 . 
76. ↑ Turkey wants to check the Kurdish withdrawal with patrols. ZEIT ONLINE , October 29, 2019, accessed on October 29, 2019 . 
77. ↑ Northern Syria: "There was no ceasefire" dw.com deutsche welle October 31, 2019.
78. ↑ For the first time again, US controls at the Turkish border. ZEIT ONLINE , October 31, 2019, accessed on October 31, 2019 . 
79. ↑ Turkey and Russia have started joint patrols in Syria. ZEIT ONLINE , November 1, 2019, accessed on November 1, 2019 . 
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81. ↑ ^{a b c d} UN Security Council divided. aljazeera.com, October 11, 2019.
82. ^ Agreement between Syria and the Kurds. taz.de. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
83. ↑ Republican McConnell sharply criticizes Trump's course in Syria . Luxembourg word . 19th October 2019
84. ↑ Elizabeth Dias: "Shame on Him": Evangelicals Call Out Trump on Syria. New York Times, October 10, 2019.
85. ^ Pentagon demands withdrawal of Turkish troops. tagesschau.de, October 11, 2019.
86. ↑ Syria: Turkish Invasion or Agreement with Damascus? Since the US decision to withdraw, the struggle over northern and eastern Syria has come to a head . Rosa Luxemburg Foundation , April 2019.
87. ↑ USA threatens Turkey with "tough sanctions" . tagesschau.de, October 11, 2019.
88. ↑ USA calls for a ceasefire and imposes punitive tariffs. zeit.de, accessed on October 15, 2019.
89. ↑ Stopped military offensive: Trump lifts sanctions against Turkey. tagesschau.de, October 23, 2019.
90. ↑ Federal government no longer wants to supply Turkey with weapons. ZEIT ONLINE , October 12, 2019, accessed on October 19, 2019 . 
91. ↑ Thousands of Kurds demonstrate against the offensive in Syria. ZEIT ONLINE , October 19, 2019, accessed on October 19, 2019 . 
92. ^ Scientific services of the German Bundestag: Aspects of international law of the Turkish military operation "Peace Source" in Northern Syria . October 17, 2019. pp. 10 and 12 f. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
93. ↑ Turkey starts ground offensive. tagesschau.de, October 10, 2019.
94. ↑ Norway stops arms exports to Turkey. Zeit.de, date.
95. ↑ Netherlands stop arms exports to Turkey because of the Syria offensive. Zeit.de, date.
96. ↑ Does Germany still deliver weapons - or not? Deutschlandfunk.de, October 13, 2019.
97. ^ France joins arms export ban. n-tv.de, date.
98. ↑ Federal government stops arms exports to Turkey. Welt.de, accessed on October 12, 2019.
99. ↑ Several EU states no longer want to deliver weapons to Turkey. ZEIT ONLINE , October 14, 2019, accessed on October 15, 2019 . 
100. ↑ Merkel calls for the end of the Syria offensive. tagesschau.de, October 13, 2019.
101. ↑ Proposal for Northern Syria - EU Parliament for a protection zone . zdf.de, October 24, 2019.
102. ↑ Syria: Amnesty accuses Turkish armed forces and allied militias of war crimes. Retrieved October 19, 2019 . 
103. ↑ Arab League on Northern Syria Offensive "A moral and human disgrace." Tagesschau.de, October 13, 2019.
104. ↑ Positions of the CHP and IYI. Retrieved October 17, 2019 . 
105. ↑ HDP: A new military front in Northern Syria will deepen the deadlock. Retrieved October 17, 2019 . 
106. ↑ Erdoğan muhalefet liderlerini bilgilendirdi. Retrieved October 17, 2019 . 
107. ↑ opposition leader urges gov't to contact Assad - Turkey news. Retrieved October 17, 2019 . 
108. ↑ Main opposition CHP slams gov't operation plans in N Syria - Turkey News. Retrieved October 17, 2019 . 
109. ↑ Bakan Akar'dan CHP, MHP ve İYİ Parti'ye ziyaret. October 14, 2019, accessed October 17, 2019 (Turkish). 
110. ^ Accusation of sedition: Turkish judiciary takes action against critics of the military offensive . In: Spiegel Online . October 10, 2019 ( spiegel.de [accessed October 10, 2019]).
111. ↑ Susanne Güsten: Erdogan replies with threats to criticism from Europe. In: Der Tagesspiegel . October 10, 2019.
112. ↑ "Inshallah we will win". Süddeutsche Zeitung , October 11, 2019, accessed on October 11, 2019 . 
113. ↑ 100,000 people on the run because of the Turkish offensive. ZEIT ONLINE , October 11, 2019, accessed on October 11, 2019 . 
114. ↑ Gone, caught place. Süddeutsche Zeitung , October 15, 2019, accessed on October 15, 2019 . 
115. ↑ Because of criticism of the offensive: Erdogan threatens the EU to open the border for Syrian refugees . In: Spiegel Online . October 10, 2019 ( spiegel.de [accessed October 10, 2019]).
116. ↑ Jörn Meyn: Can and Gündogan like a photo of a military greeting: Salute with consequences . In: Spiegel Online . October 13, 2019 ( spiegel.de [accessed October 14, 2019]).
117. ↑ WORLD: Turkish national players: sympathy for Turkey offensive calls Uefa on the plan . October 13, 2019 ( welt.de [accessed October 14, 2019]).
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119. ↑ Andreas Liebmann: Salut-Jubel: The military salute divides amateur football. Retrieved October 20, 2019 . 
120. ↑ ^{a b} Patrick Wintour: Syria: Erdoğan's eyes more likely to be on Putin than Trump. The Guardian, October 10, 2019.
121. ↑ Erdoğan's triumphal march - does Europe continue to watch helplessly? Anne Will . 20th October 2019.
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123. ↑ Trump helps Asad and Putin to triumph - a debacle that is likely to have an impact in Syria for a long time to come. Neue Zürcher Zeitung, October 14, 2019.
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125. ↑ Over 100,000 displaced people after 48 hours. sueddeutsche.de , October 11, 2019.
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