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CURRENT
DEVELOPMENTS: French Troops Are Growing In Northern Syria
31
March, 2018
MANBIJ,
Syria – French troops are currently deploying five military
bases in northern Syria in the area controlled by the forces of
Washington-backed and Kurdish-led SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces) as
reported by Turkish state news agency Anadolu.
According
to Turkish media, more than 70 members of the French Special Forces
are at the Lafarge cement factory near Mistanur Hill and Harab-Isk.
In
fact, they say that even 30 executives are working from Raqqa. The
1st Marine Parachutist Constitution and the 10th Parachutist Unit are
also operating in the area.
Kurdish
People’s Protection Units (YPG) are the core of the
SDF. Ankara describes YPG as a terrorist group and as the Syrian
arm of the Turkey-based Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Turkey
recently launched a large-scale military operation against the YPG in
the north of Syria and captured the YPG-held Afrin region.
All
this comes just 24 hours after the rupture between Ankara and Paris’s
relations and the reception of President Emmanuel Macron at the
Elysées Palace with the political and military delegation of the
Syrian Kurds and the Arab-Kurdish alliance.
According
to the French “Le Monde,” this decision by the French presidency
“is a crucial move and a decisive shift in the involvement of the
French agent on the Kurdish Syrian front.”
The
reaction was immediate and the headlines of the Turkish newspapers
expressed Ankara’s anger with titles such as “Movement-scandal”
in “Hürriyet” or “Crisis: France sends an army to Manbij” of
“Milliyet”.
After
Erdogan’s “cuff” against Macron in Paris yesterday it was
announced that France does not plan to conduct a military operation
in northern Syria outside the international coalitions fight against
the Islamic State.
This
clarification was made on the following statements made by Kurdish
officials after meeting with President Emmanuel Macron, according to
which Paris is also about to send “new troops” to northern Syria.
“France
does not envisage a new military operation on the field in northern
Syria outside of the international coalition against the Islamic
State,” the French Presidency underlined.
Indeed,
the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, launched a violent
attack on France, calling France’s move to mediate between Turkey
and the Syrian Democratic Forces as a “wrong
approach” .
“I
would like to stress that I was very much disappointed by France’s
completely wrong approach to this issue,” the
Turkish president said. “Who
are you talking about mediation between Turkey and a terrorist
organization?” he questioned.
Addressing
Emmanuel Macron, Erdogan said: “Who
assigned you this duty? Who told you to get involved in those
things that are bigger than yours? “
TURKISH
MEDIA SAYS FRENCH TROOPS DEPLOYED AT 5 MILITARY BASES IN NORTHERN
SYRIA
31
March, 2018
French
troops are currently deplyoed at 5 military bases within the area
controlled by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in
northern Syria, the Turksih state-run news agency Anadolu Agency
says.
According
to Anadolu, over 70 French special forcesservice members are
stationed at the Lafarge Cement factory near the Mistanur Hill and
the village of Harab-Isk. The agency added that over 30 French
servicemembers are operating in Raqqah. France’s 1st Marine
Infantry Parachute Regiment and 10th Parachute Commando forces also
operate in the area.
The
Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) is a core of the SDF.
Ankara describes the YPG as a terrorist group, a local branch of the
Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Turkey
has even recently conducted a large-scale military operation against
the YPG in northwestern Syria and has captured the area of Afrin from
it.
Click
Turks preparing to assault Manbij?
[Editor’s
note: It
certainly looks like tensions are increasing between the
Turkish-backed ‘rebels’ (or are they just a Turkish proxy army
including Turkish personnel) and the Syrian Kurds, with the city of
Manbij being the most likely point where fighting will break out.
What greatly complicates matters is that the US and it’s allies are
backing the Kurds and have forces on the ground, which raises the
prospect of NATO allies becoming engaged against each other in a
proxy war. For Syria, it means that despite the destruction of ISIS,
there appears to be little prospect of the seemingly interminable
conflict that has wrecked the country coming to an end any time
soon. Ian]__________
Al
Masdar
Photos
(below) have emerged showing US motorized forces patrolling the
frontline with Turkish-backed rebels near the city of Manbij in
northern Aleppo province.
The
stepped up US patrols in defense of Pentagon-backed proxies comes as
Ankara is making serious threats about launching an offensive to
expel Syrian Kurdish forces from Manbij and its surrounding
countryside.
There
are reports that Turkish-backed rebel groups (guided by Ankara) are
already making preliminary moves for a major military operation
against US-led forces in Manbij.
Recently,
two troops of the US-coalition (at least one confirmed to be an
American) were killed and five others injured in an IED attack that
sources are now saying happened in Manbij city; no warring faction
has officially been blamed yet.
Recently,
reports emerged that France was planning to send troops to Manbij to
deter Turkish aggression towards Syrian Kurdish forces.
A
UK soldier has been killed in combat in Syria, the Ministry of
Defence has said.
The
serviceman – embedded with US forces as part of a counter-terrorism
operation against the Islamic State group – was killed on Thursday
by an improvised explosive device.
An
American soldier was also killed by the roadside bomb, US officials
said.
The
MOD confirmed that his family had been notified, adding “our
thoughts are with them at this difficult time”.
BBC
defence correspondent Jonathan Beale said the British serviceman is
the first UK soldier to be killed in combat fighting IS.
He
said: “The MOD and the government has not acknowledged that British
forces are involved in combat in Syria before.
“They
never comment on the activities of UK special forces either. But in
2017, the then Defence Secretary Michael Fallon did tell MPs that a
small number of UK military personnel had been in the country as part
of the US-led coalition.”
Our
correspondent added it was believed the serviceman was killed near
the town of Manbij in northern Syria in a night-time operation
against IS.
US
officials said five other personnel were wounded in the incident.
It
comes a day after US President Donald Trump told advisers he wanted
US forces withdrawn from Syria “very soon”.
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