Impeachment: This week's events

 



What's up with the Turks and the Kurds ??

Why is Turkey bombing the Kurds in Syria?

Tens of thousands of people have fled their homes in northern Syria, as Turkish forces step up their cross-border offensive on Kurdish-held areas. International clamour has increased for Turkey to halt the attack.  Martin Patience explains what's behind the conflict.

 

 

Turkey-Syria offensive: Kurds reach deal with Syrian army

 

Kurds

 

The Kurds in Syria say the Syrian government has agreed to send its army to the northern border to try to halt Turkey's offensive against them. Syrian state media earlier reported that government forces had been deployed to the north. It follows the US decision to pull all its remaining troops from the area over the "untenable" situation there.

The Turkish assault, launched last week, is aimed at forcing Kurdish forces from along the border area. Areas under control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the main US ally in the area, have come under heavy bombardment over the weekend, with Turkey making gains in two key border towns.

Dozens of civilians and fighters have been killed on both sides. In a separate development on Sunday, Kurdish officials said nearly 800 relatives of foreign Islamic State (IS) members had escaped from Ain Issa, a camp in the north, as clashes raged nearby.

 

The Turkish offensive and US withdrawal has drawn an international outcry, as the SDF were the main Western allies in the battle against IS in Syria. But Turkey views elements of the Kurdish groups within the force as terrorists and says it wants to drive them away from a "safe zone" reaching 30km into Syria.

It also plans to resettle more than three million Syrian refugees currently in Turkey within the zone. Many of them are not Kurds. Critics have warned this could lead to ethnic cleansing of the local Kurdish population.

 

What's the deal? 

The Kurdish-led administration in northern Syria said the Syrian army would deploy along the entire length of the border as part of the agreement. This deployment would assist the SDF in countering "this aggression and liberating the areas that the Turkish army and mercenaries had entered", it said in a statement. The move also "paves the way to liberate the rest of the Syrian cities occupied by the Turkish army such as Afrin", it added. Turkish forces and pro-Turkey Syrian rebels forced Kurdish fighters from Afrin back in 2018 after a two-month operation.

 

The deal represents a significant shift in alliances for the Kurds, after losing the military protection of their long-term US partners in the area. It is not yet known what the Syrian government has committed to. However SDF chief Mazloum Abdi acknowledged "there would be painful compromises" with the Assad government and its Russian allies, in an article for Foreign Policy magazine.

"We do not trust their promises. To be honest, it is hard to know whom to trust," he writes.

"But if we have to choose between compromises and the genocide of our people, we will surely choose life for our people."

The deal follows US President Donald Trump's surprise move last week to pull troops from pockets in the north-east, effectively paving the way for the Turkish operation against the Kurdish fighters. At the time, the SDF called the move "a stab in the back".

 

What about the latest US withdrawal?

US Defence Secretary Mark Esper earlier announced the Pentagon was moving up to 1,000 troops away from the north after learning that Turkey was pushing further into Syria than previously expected.

Describing the situation there as "untenable", he said the SDF had been "looking to cut a deal" with the Syrian government and Russia to counter the Turkish attack. This, he continued, would leave the US forces stuck between "two opposing advancing armies".

Hours after Mr Esper's comments, Syria said it was deploying its forces to the north to "confront a Turkish aggression". It is not yet clear where exactly the troops are being sent.

On Sunday, President Trump tweeted that it was "very smart" not to be involved in the fighting "for a change", saying engagement in Middle East conflict was a mistake.

 

What has Turkey seized so far ?

Turkey is pushing deeper into northern Syria.  On Sunday, President Erdogan said his forces had already captured 109 sq km (42 square miles) of territory, including 21 villages. He told reporters the key border town of Ras al-Ain had come under Turkish control - though the SDF said they had pushed Turkish forces back to the town's outskirts.

 

Mr Erdogan said Turkish forces had also besieged the town of Tal Abyad, some 120km (75 miles) away. The UK-based monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said Turkey was in almost complete control there.

Both Ras al-Ain and Tal Abyad are key goals in the Turkish offensive against the SDF. Turkey also announced that its Syrian allies on the ground had seized a key motorway - called M4 - some 30-35km south of the border.

What are the casualty figures?

They're rising, with civilians killed on both sides of the border:
More than 50 civilians and over 100 Kurdish fighters killed in north-eastern Syria, SOHR says
SDF says the Kurdish forces' death toll is 56 and Turkey gives a higher figure of 440.  Eighteen civilians killed in southern Turkey, according to Turkish reports, and four Turkish soldiers and 16 pro-Turkish Syrian fighters killed in Syria.

The UN humanitarian agency OCHA says up to 160,000 civilians are now on the move and it expects the number to rise. It says it is increasingly concerned about the safety of its staff in the region.What about IS? The fighting has spilled over to areas close to IS detainee camps.  Fears that Kurdish forces will be unable to keep IS prisoners confined appeared to have been realized when officials at the Ain Issa camp said nearly 800 relatives of foreign IS members had escaped.

 

The SDF says it is currently holding more than 12,000 suspected IS members in seven prisons, and at least 4,000 of them are foreign nationals. IS has claimed recent car bombings and on Saturday declared a new campaign in Syria. Turkey says it will take responsibility for IS prisoners it finds during its offensive. A whole new, Middle East 'Pandora's Box' has been opened. Thank you Mr Trump.



Violence peaks in Hong Kong

 

 

 

The 70th anniversary of Communist Party rule in China was "one of Hong Kong's most violent and chaotic days", the city's police chief has said. An 18-year-old protester was shot in the chest with a live bullet - one of six live rounds fired by police. Protesters - armed with petrol bombs and projectiles - fought pitched battles with police in several parts of Hong Kong. In total, 104 people were taken to hospital and 180 were arrested. Police chief Stephen Lo said 25 officers were also injured.

In the days leading up the anniversary, tensions were high in Hong Kong, which always sees protests on the anniversary. This year, however, Hong Kong has seen four months of protests sparked by proposed changes to an extradition bill.  Though the changes have been abandoned, the unrest has continued, expanding into demands for greater democracy.

 

 

The shooting of Tsang Chi-kin, who was attacking an officer with a pole, was captured on video and shared online.
"My chest is hurting, I need to go to hospital," the 18-year-old said. The government said he was in a stable condition.
Although people have been shot with rubber bullets in previous protests, this was the first injury from a live round. Mr Lo said firing the bullet was "lawful and reasonable" as the officer thought his and colleagues' lives were under threat. Asked why the bullet was fired at close range, Mr Lo said:
"He [the officer] did not decide the distance between him and the assailant."

What made Tuesday different?

In Beijing, the anniversary of Communist Party rule saw a parade of Chinese military might: 15,000 troops, 580 pieces of equipment, and 160 aircraft.
In Hong Kong, some 1,200 miles away, protesters marked the day somewhat differently.
Peaceful marches soon exploded into violence. BBC reporter Tessa Wong, who was on the streets, said protesters fought "pitched battles" with officers.
Shortly before Tsang Chi-kin was shot, men wearing helmets and gas masks attacked an officer on the ground with a pole.
An officer responded by firing his gun at close range.
Elsewhere, protesters threw petrol bombs, started fires, and ran at officers. Police responded with water cannon, tear gas, and - in total - six live rounds.
The day saw the highest number of arrests since this year's protests began, and the highest number of live rounds fired.

 

 

  

What explains the anger?

The protests were sparked earlier this year by a proposed law, which would have allowed extradition from Hong Kong to the Chinese mainland. Opponents thought this would put Hong Kongers at risk of unfair trials, and, in July, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said the law "was dead". But, despite the law being withdrawn, the protests continued every weekend.  Clashes between police and protesters created their own momentum, and there is wider discontent, now.

Recent years have seen growing opposition to the perceived encroachment of Beijing on Hong Kong's politics and threats to local identity.  Many young people have economic worries, and there are also demands for universal suffrage for elections to Hong Kong's parliament.  As China showed off its superpower status in Beijing, violence in Hong Kong - a special administrative region of China - was inevitable.

What is the background?

Until 1997, Hong Kong was a British territory. Since then, it has been part of China but with its own system of law and government - known as One Country, Two Systems. Hong Kong has its own judiciary and a separate legal system. Rights including freedom of assembly and freedom of speech are protected. But those freedoms - the Basic Law - expire in 2047. It is not clear what Hong Kong's status will be then.