'25 killed' as Turkey battles Syrian fighters accused of 'plundering'
There have been tensions in Afrin over the last eleven months as Kurds accuse some of the Syrian rebels and their allies of stealing their property, invading their homes and abusing locals.
By Seth J. Frantzman
November 19, 2018
On Sunday, Turkish forces in the northern Syrian district of Afrin imposed a curfew. Clashes broke out involving heavy machine guns and a day of battles between the Turkish military and a group of former Syrian rebels accused of “plundering and robbing people†in the region. Videos showed heavy clashes and gunfire throughout the day and night.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 25 were killed in clashes. Around 200 Syrian rebel fighters fought with the Turkish army and other pro-Ankara militias. The fighters were accused of having become an “outlaw gang†that was disobeying Turkey’s authority. Afrin, a mostly Kurdish region in northwestern Syria, was taken over by Turkey and its Syrian rebel allies in January. Turkey claimed that Afrin was a threat to its security because it was controlled by the People’s Protection Units (YPG), which Ankara accuses of being the Syrian branch of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). The region was largely peaceful during the seven years of the Syrian civil war. The clashes on November 18 are considered the worst since Turkey and its allies moved into Afrin.
There have been tensions in Afrin over the last eleven months as Kurds accuse some of the Syrian rebels and their allies of stealing their property, invading their homes and abusing locals. They also accuse the different rebel factions of fighting with one another, and videos from Afrin have shown low level clashes over the last months. The European Court of Human Rights recently refused to hear complaints from local residents seeking redress for houses that were damaged during the Turkish offensive in January. The European Union told the Syrian Kurdish locals to turn to Turkish courts first.
Read more at: https://www.jpost.com/International/25-killed-as-Turkey-battles-Syrian-fighters-accused-of-plundering-572247
So, the Turks don't like the Kurds but here, it seems the Turks went after the guys the Kurds didn't like. Just the same, there are some stories of Turkish military advisors aiding the Kurds but in a different area of the conflict.
