The 2019 Rojava offensive, called Operation Peace Spring (Turkish: Barış Pınarı Harekâtı; Arabic: عملية نبع السلام‎) by the Turkish government, is an ongoing military operation conducted by the Turkish Armed Forces and Syrian National Army (SNA) against areas under the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (NES), commonly called Rojava, and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

On 6 October 2019, the Trump administration ordered American troops to withdraw from northeast Syria, where the United States had been supporting their Kurdish allies. The military operation began on 9 October 2019 when the Turkish Air Force launched airstrikes on border towns.

According to the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the operation is intended to expel the SDF—viewed as a terrorist organization by Turkey due to its ties with the Kurdistan Workers Party, but considered an ally against ISIL by the United States and others—from the border region, as well to create a 30 km-deep (20 miles) “safe zone” in Northern Syria where some of the 3.6 million Syrian refugees in Turkey can resettle. The Turkish action was internationally condemned.

As of 10 October, 60,000 civilians are displaced by the Turkish attack.

Reactions

Reactions in Turkey

A day prior to the operation, all Turkish opposition parties except the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) voted to extend the military’s mandate on Syria. Opposition party leaders Meral Akşener (İyi Party), Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu (Republican People’s Party), and Temel Karamollaoğlu (Felicity Party), also minor government partner party Nationalist Movement Party leader Devlet Bahçeli expressed their support for the military operation. Akşener, Kılıçdaroğlu, and Bahçeli were directly informed of the operation by President Erdoğan immediately after its launch.

The HDP condemned the operation, calling it an “extremely dangerous and wrong step” and stating that “Turkey is being dragged into a dangerous and deep trap”.

Reactions in Syria

•  Syrian Government – The government strongly condemned the Turkish attack, dubbing it a “disgraceful breach of international law and UN resolutions that respect Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”.
•  Syrian Democratic Forces – An SDF spokesman told Al-Jazeera regarding the offensive, “Threats made by Turkey to attack the area is not something new, they have constantly done it for years. We as Syrian Democratic Forces take the matter into account and are fully prepared to fiercely respond to any imminent attack on Syrian soil.”
•  Jaysh al-Izza – Jaysh al-Izza’s leader criticzed fighters leaving Idlib to take part in the Turkish-led operation against SDF, on twitter, saying they should instead remain in Idlib to retake areas lost to the government in an offensive in August.

International reactions

UN-member states

•  Armenia – Ministry of Foreign Affairs has published a statement which condemns the military invasion by Turkey in north-east Syria, which would lead to deterioration of regional security, losses among civilians, mass displacement and eventually to a new humanitarian crisis. The plight of ethnic and religious minorities is of particular concern. This military invasion also creates an imminent threat of identity based grave and massive violations of human rights.
•  Australia – Prime Minister Scott Morrison stated that he was concerned for the safety of the Kurds living in the region and also feared that the offensive could result in a resurgence of ISIS.
•  Bahrain – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain strongly condemned the military attack by Turkey on areas in northeast of Syria.
•  Belgium – Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders called on Turkey to refrain from unilateral military action.
•  Canada – On 9 October 2019, Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland stated on Twitter that Canada “firmly condemns Turkey’s military incursion into Syria today.”
•  Cyprus – Cyprus strongly condemned the operation and argued that it was against international law.
•  Czech Republic – Czech Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček stated his opposition to the Turkish operation and argued that it would worsen the situation of civilians and refugees.
•  Denmark – Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeppe Kofod tweeted that he is “deeply concerned about” the situation and believed the offensive to be “a regrettable and wrong decision” on Turkey’s part, fearing that it could “have serious consequences for civilians and the fight against ISIL.” On 10 October, Denmark condemned the operation.
•  Egypt – Egypt’s Foreign Ministry condemned Turkey’s offensive. It also called for the UN Security Council to halt “any attempts to occupy Syrian territories” or “change the demographics in northern Syria”. In addition, it called for an emergency meeting of the Arab League.
•  Finland – In response to the offensive, Finland announced they would cease arms exports to Turkey. Turkish Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu reportedly reacted laughing and said: “They did good. It does not matter for us.”
•  France – Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian condemned the unilateral Turkish operation in northeast Syria on 9 October 2019, and declared “(It is ) is [sic] jeopardising the anti-Islamic State coalition’s security and humanitarian efforts and is a risk for the security of Europeans. It has to end”. France and Britain call for Security council meeting.
•  Germany – Minister for Foreign Affairs Heiko Maas warned that the offensive would cause more destabilization in the region and could cause ISIS to grow.
•  Greece – Minister for Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias condemned Turkey’s invasion of Syria, stating that “Turkey is making a big mistake”. Furthermore, about Turkey’s plans for the creation of a safe zone in Northern Syria for the immigrants to be resettled, at the expense of the local Kurdish population he stated that it “is illegal since the resettlement of immigrants must comply with some basic principles: to be voluntary and dignified. […] Therefore, what Turkey does, goes against human rights”.
•  Hungary – Hungary at first vetoed an attempt by the EU member states to unanimously issue a warning against the operation citing “countries have rights to protect their borders”.
•  Iceland – Iceland strongly condemned ‘the Turkish move against Kurds’ and called on Turkey to end the operation.
•  India – India slammed Turkey for its unilateral military move.
•  Ireland – Ireland stated that unilateral military action cannot be condoned and was deeply troubled by the Turkish operation.
•  Israel – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the operation and warned against ethnic cleansing of Kurds by Turkey and its allies.
•  Iran – Foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has voiced opposition to the offensive viewing it as a violation of Syria’s sovereignty. However regarding the US withdrawal from Syria Zarif commented saying the US was an “irrelevant occupier in Syria”, and said that Iran would be willing to mediate tensions between Syria and Turkey. In addition, Iran’s parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani cancelled his scheduled trip to Turkey.
•  Iraq – President Barham Salih condemned the operation, stating that “Turkey’s military incursion into Syria is a grave escalation; will cause untold humanitarian suffering, empower terrorist groups. The world must unite to avert a catastrophe, promote political resolution to the rights of all Syrians, including Kurds, to peace, dignity & security”.
•  Italy – Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte stated that the offensive puts the region’s civilians and stability in jeopardy.
•  Jordan – Jordan urged Turkey to halt the offensive and to solve all issues diplomatically.
•  Kuwait – Kuwait stated that it was concerned about how the offensive might negatively affect the peacefulness and stability of the region and called for restraint.
•  Latvia – Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs described the operation as ‘disturbing’ and urged Turkey to cease its operation to pursue a political solution.
•  Lebanon – Lebanon condemned the operation and called on Turkey to rethink its move.
•  Netherlands – Minister of Foreign Affairs Stef Blok tweeted that Turkey should not “follow the path it has chosen”, noting that “[t]he operation can trigger new refugee flows and harm the fight against IS and stability in the region.”
•  Norway – Norway called on Turkey to end the operation and to respect international law
•  Russia – President Vladimir Putin called a meeting of the Security Council of Russia on 8 October to discuss the issue. He spoke to Erdoğan by phone the next day; Putin urged his Turkish partners to carefully consider the situation so as not to damage the overall efforts to resolve the Syrian crisis. The Russian government also stated that Turkey has a right to defend itself however called upon foreign militaries with what it described as an illegal presence in Syria to leave.
•  Saudi Arabia – The government of Saudi Arabia condemned Turkey’s actions in a statement, saying that the operation “has negative repercussions on the security and stability of the region”. The Saudi foreign ministry also claimed that the offensive is a violation of Syria’s unity, independence and sovereignty.
•  Slovenia – Slovenia stated that it is deeply concerned and urged Turkey cease the operation and to find a political solution.
•  Sweden – Sweden stated that the Turkish operation was a threat to the region and the Kurdish efforts against ISIS. Moreover, Turkey was urged not to escalate the situation.
•   Switzerland – Switzerland stated that they were following the situation closely and called for restraint.
•  United Arab Emirates – The UAE stated that they condemn the Turkish interference and offensive in Syria in the strongest terms.
•  United Kingdom – In a telephone call with US President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Boris Johnson described the offensive as an “invasion” and expressed “serious concern”.

•  United States – President Donald Trump stated that “the United States does not endorse this attack and has made it clear to Turkey that this operation is a bad idea.”  Trump has threatened to devastate the economy of Turkey if they do “anything that I, in my great and unmatched wisdom, consider to be off limits”. However, Trump defended his decision to withdraw American troops, arguing that the Kurds “didn’t help us in the Second World War, they didn’t help us with Normandy as an example”. Trump also stated: “Alliances are very easy. But our alliances have taken advantage of us”. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo denied that the United States had given a ‘green light’ for Turkey to attack the Kurds. However, Pompeo defended the Turkish military action, stating that Turkey has a “legitimate security concern” with “a terrorist threat to their south”. Senator Lindsey Graham warned that he would “introduce bipartisan sanctions against Turkey if they invade Syria”. He said he would also “call for their suspension from NATO if they attack Kurdish forces who assisted the United States in the destruction of the ISIS Caliphate”.

Supranational

•  Arab League – Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit called the offensive a “blatant violation of Syria’s sovereignty”. The Arab League will meet in Cairo on 12 October 2019 to discuss Turkey’s actions.
•  European Union – High Representative Federica Mogherini issued a declaration on behalf of the EU on 9 October 2019 stating that “In light of the Turkish military operation in north-east Syria, the EU reaffirms that a sustainable solution to the Syrian conflict cannot be achieved militarily. The EU calls upon Turkey to cease the unilateral military action.”
•  NATO – Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Turkey is “at the forefront of the crisis and has legitimate security concerns”, having suffered terrorist attacks and hosting millions of refugees. He added that NATO was informed by Turkish authorities about the ongoing operations in Northern Syria. He further stated that it was “important to avoid actions that may further destabilise the region, escalate tensions, and cause more human suffering.” He called on Turkey to “act with restraint” and said that the gains made against ISIS should not be jeopardized.
•  United Nations – The UN cautioned regarding the offensive calling for the protection of civilians. Panos Moumtzis, the UN’s Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for Syria, commented saying “Any (military) operation that takes place at the moment has to take into account to ensure that we don’t see any further displacement.”

Other regional actors

•  Kurdistan Region – The autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq expressed deep concern and called upon Turkey to “avoid any initiative that would undermine the progress made against ISIS”.

References