Syrian Kurdistan declares general mobilization after Turkish attacks

The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, Syrian Kurdistan Rojava — Members of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, Rojava, December 1, 2024. Photo: ANHA

RAQQA,— The Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) in Syrian Kurdistan region (Rojava), announced on Sunday a state of general mobilization.

The move follows recent Turkish military operations and its mercenary Islamic militants in Syria, which the AANES strongly condemned as an attempt to reassert Turkish dominance in the region and further fragment Syria’s territorial integrity.

The assault by pro-Turkish Islamic extremist militants, particularly in the northern Syrian regions of Afrin, Shahba, and Aleppo, is seen by the AANES as part of a long-standing strategy to divide Syria.

According to the administration, Turkey’s current military actions are a continuation of its previous efforts to destabilize the country through the use of ISIS, a plan that failed but remains a core ambition of Turkey’s foreign policy.

The ultimate goal, the AANES argues, is to occupy Syrian territory, annex parts of it to Turkey, and eliminate the aspirations of the Syrian people for a democratic and sovereign future.

In a statement issued from their headquarters in Raqqa, the AANES described the Turkish attack as an extension of Turkey’s aggressive policies aimed at altering the region’s demographics and political landscape.

They warned that this military escalation threatens not only the Kurdish populations but also the broader Syrian populace, including Arabs, Syriacs, Assyrians, and Turkmen, who have come together to support the autonomous governance model established in northeast Syria.

The AANES called for solidarity among Syria’s various ethnic and religious groups to combat the Turkish-led offensive, stressing that unity is key in resisting external threats. “We call on all our people, regardless of their background, to rally around the Syrian Democratic Forces and to stand firm against this aggression,” the statement read.

The mobilization announcement emphasized the urgent need for heightened vigilance, with all local institutions directed to prepare for potential crises resulting from the offensive. The AANES also appealed to the international community, urging governments and organizations worldwide to pressure Turkey to halt its actions, warning of the looming humanitarian disaster and the risk of further destabilization in the region.

Pro-Turkey Islamic fighters seize Syria town from Kurdish forces, Monitor says

The Turkish assault has led to significant territorial shifts in northern Syria. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that pro-Turkey fighters had seized control of the town of Tel Rifaat and surrounding villages, displacing around 200,000 Kurdish civilians in the area. This move, coupled with Turkey’s ongoing offensive, has left parts of Aleppo province under siege, creating dire conditions for those trapped.

In a further escalation, it was reported that for the first time since the start of Syria’s civil war, the city of Aleppo is no longer under the control of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the city has fallen under the control of the pro-Turkey Islamic extremist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and its allies (formerly known as al-Nusra Front), which is considered a terrorist organization worldwide, marking a significant shift in the power dynamics of the region

With the situation in Syria growing more complex by the day, the AANES is urging international actors to recognize the gravity of the situation and take immediate steps to prevent further violence and instability. The announcement of general mobilization signifies the resolve of the region’s Kurdish-led administration to protect their land, their people, and their vision for a democratic Syria.

The internationally respected PYD-led Autonomous Administration in Syrian Kurdistan operates under a secular, decentralized self-rule that prioritizes equality between men and women, direct democracy, and environmental responsibility.

In 2013, the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), the political arm of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), established three autonomous cantons—Jazeera, Kobani, and Afrin—and created a Kurdish government across Syrian Kurdistan. On March 17, 2016, Kurdish and Arab authorities announced the formation of a “federal region,” composed of these semi-autonomous regions in Syrian Kurdistan. On January 20, 2018, Turkey launched an operation against the YPG in the Afrin canton, and by March 18, Turkish forces, alongside Syrian Islamic mercenary fighters, drove the YPG out of Afrin city.

On September 6, 2018, the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria was declared in Ain Issa. Since then, this administration has been responsible for implementing the model of democratic confederalism across municipalities and regions in North-East Syria.

The Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its powerful military wing, the YPG/YPJ, are recognized as the most effective fighting force against IS in Syria, with the U.S. providing them with arms. The YPG, which serves as the backbone of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the de facto military of the autonomous Kurdish administration in Rojava, has seized large portions of territory from the Islamic State.

In March 2019, Kurdish forces expelled the Islamic State from its last stronghold in the eastern Syrian village of Baghouz. Since then, an estimated to over 12,000 suspected IS members have been held in Kurdish prisons.

Over five years of fighting to eliminate the Islamic State “caliphate,” which once spanned an area the size of Great Britain in Syria and Iraq, more than 11,000 Kurdish male and female fighters lost their lives.

(With files from ANF| ANHA | Agencies)