Syrian Kurdish forces seek to evacuate Kurds from Aleppo

QAMISHLO, Syrian Kurdistan,— Kurdish-led forces in Syrian Kurdistan, which are backed by the United States, announced plans on Monday to evacuate Kurdish residents near Aleppo to safer areas under their control.

The decision follows an offensive by Turkish-backed Islamic mercenary militants that captured a key town previously home to tens of thousands of Kurds.

Syria’s ongoing conflict, which began in 2011 after a government crackdown on pro-democracy protests, has spiraled into a devastating civil war involving regional powers and militant groups. Over 500,000 lives have been lost, and half the population has been displaced.

Last week, the Islamic jihadist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, formerly known as al-Nusra Front, along with its allies, launched a swift attack from northwestern Syria, near the Turkish border. The offensive targeted government-controlled areas, including Aleppo, Syria’s second-largest city.

The recent violence has once again placed Syria’s Kurdish population, who have faced repeated displacements throughout the conflict, in a precarious position.

According to a war monitor, approximately 200,000 Syrian Kurds are now trapped by Turkish-backed Islamic militants after they seized the strategic town of Tel Rifaat and nearby villages in Aleppo province.

General Mazloum Abdi (Kobani), the top commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), issued a statement on Monday outlining efforts to relocate Kurdish residents to safer areas in Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava), northeastern Syria, under SDF control.

“We are coordinating with all relevant parties in Syria to secure the safety of our people and facilitate their relocation to safer regions,” Abdi said. He described the situation in northwest Syria as rapidly deteriorating, with Kurdish forces coming under intense attack from multiple directions.

The SDF had attempted to create a humanitarian corridor linking northeastern Kurdish areas to Aleppo and Tel Rifaat to protect civilians. However, Abdi stated that Turkish-backed offensives disrupted these efforts.

Despite the challenges, Abdi reaffirmed the SDF’s commitment to defending Kurdish neighborhoods in Aleppo, stressing the importance of safeguarding their communities from potential atrocities.

This latest escalation highlights the enduring volatility of the Syrian conflict and the plight of its displaced populations, particularly in contested northern regions.

The Kurdish pursuit of autonomy in Syria has been a defining element of the country’s prolonged conflict. In 2013, the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), the political wing of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), a key component of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), declared the creation of three autonomous cantons: Jazeera, Kobani, and Afrin. These regions formed the foundation of a Kurdish-led government across Syrian Kurdistan.

On March 17, 2016, Kurdish and Arab authorities announced the creation of a federal region encompassing these semi-autonomous areas, a significant step toward self-governance in Syrian Kurdistan. However, this autonomy faced severe challenges. On January 20, 2018, Turkey launched a military operation against the YPG in the Afrin canton. By March 18, Turkish forces and allied Syrian factions had expelled the YPG from Afrin city.

The establishment of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria in Ain Issa on September 6, 2018, marked another milestone. This administration has since governed municipalities in northeast Syria, implementing the PYD’s vision of democratic confederalism.

The YPG and its female counterpart, the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), became central to the fight against the Islamic State (IS). With U.S. backing and military aid, they emerged as a formidable force, forming the backbone of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the de facto army of the Kurdish administration in Rojava.

In March 2019, Kurdish-led forces delivered a decisive blow to IS, liberating its final stronghold in the eastern village of Baghouz. Despite this victory, challenges remain. Kurdish prisons still hold approximately 12,000 suspected IS members, a lingering threat to regional stability.

The cost of this hard-fought campaign has been staggering. Over 11,000 Kurdish fighters—men and women—lost their lives in the battle to dismantle the IS caliphate, which once spanned an area equivalent to Great Britain across Syria and Iraq.

Their sacrifice underlines the enduring struggle of the Kurdish people for security and recognition amid Syria’s ongoing turmoil.

(With files AFP | Agencies)