Syrian Kurds announce emergency amidst Turkish threats

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) on Wednesday announced a general emergency in the areas of the AANES amidst continued Turkish threats to launch a new operation in northeast Syria.

The General Council in AANES in an exceptional meeting on Wednesday 6 July 2022 decided to announce an emergency state in northeast Syria.

“Recommending all the councils, commissions, committees and foundations in the AANES, and the autonomous and civil administrations to prepare emergency plans to confront the threats and challenges,” the decision stated.

Moreover, the General Council decided to put “capabilities in service to protect the people from any hostile attack on the areas of the AANES, and that the Executive Council in North and East Syria, the executive councils in the autonomous and civil administrations must give priority in their projects to confronting these threats.”

Since May, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly claimed that Turkey would launch a new operation in northeast Syria, most likely to target the northern Syrian towns of Tal Rifaat or Manbij.

According to the latest reports, the Turkish army has sent more reinforcements to northern Syria in the last few days.

Nicholas Heras, the Deputy Director of the Human Security Unit at New Lines institute in Washington DC, told Kurdistan 24 that the statement is a “signal to Turkey to expect a long insurgency in Syria and for the United State not to sleep on the Turkish threats.”

Read More: Turkey continues to send reinforcements to northern Syria: SOHR

Meanwhile, the Syrian government sent reinforcements to frontlines near Manbij, Ain Issa and Kobani on Monday, after a Russian-backed deal between Damascus and the SDF.

Edited by NA