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Recently, Turkey launched a major military operation in northeast Syria targeting Kurds.
Why has Turkey launched the attack?
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the attack was to remove Kurdish-led forces from the border area and create a “safe zone” so millions of Syrian refugees could return.
Read: Syrian Conflict: Does The World Really Care?
Thousands of Kurdish civilians had to flee the border yesterday following the offensive.
It is a part of Turkey’s Operation Peace Spring to establish a “peace corridor” along the Turkish border with Syria.
A brief history of the clash between Turkey & the Kurds
There is deep-seated hostility between the Turkish state and the country’s Kurds, who constitute almost 20% of the population.
Kurds have been receiving harsh treatment at the hands of the Turkish authorities for decades. In 1920s and 1930s, many Kurds were resettled, Kurdish names and costumes were banned and the use of the Kurdish language was restricted.
Read: Here’s What Pakistanis Should Expect From PM Imran Khan’s Visit To China
In 1978, a group, PKK was formed which called for an independent state within Turkey. Six years later, the group began an armed struggle. Since then, more than 40,000 people have been killed.
In 2013, a ceasefire was agreed, however it was short-lived as in 2015, a suicide bombing killed 33 young Kurd activists. Turkey blamed the attack on ISIS.
Since 2015, several thousand people have been killed in clashes between Turkish forces and the Kurds.
How US reacted to Turkey’s operation in Syria?
President Trump tweeted that US had been trying to end the war and it had removed forces from Turkey and Syria but Turkey wanted to start a new war all over again.
President Trump said that US might impose tough sanctions on Turkey for its military action in Syria.
A senior State Department official said that US was also trying to find a middle ground for ceasefire between Turkey and Kurds.
It is important to mention that US accuses Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad of conducting widespread atrocities and supports Syria’s main opposition alliance, National Coalition. It also trained Syrian rebels to the fight to the ISIS and other jihadist groups.
