Contents tagged with Kurds

  • Erdogan accuses Russia and US of violating agreements on Kurds

    Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in an interview with the Turkish newspaper HaberTurk that Russia and the United States have not fulfilled their obligations to withdraw Kurdish militia units from areas near the Turkish border.

    According to Erdoğan, Moscow and Washington promised to achieve the withdrawal of Kurdish paramilitary groups from the security zone along the Turkish-Syrian border. "They said that there would be no terrorists in this territory, but they are still there," …

  • Young Syrian Kurds throw Molotov cocktails at Russian patrol in Syria

    During a joint patrol by Russian and Turkish forces in northern Syria, a group of teenagers threw stones and Molotov cocktails at the patrol vehicles. No soldiers were injured, the vehicles remained operational, and the convoy continued its patrol, RBC news agency reports, citing a representative of the Russian Center for the Reconciliation of Opposing Sides in Syria.

    “In order to prevent possible accidents, the convoy’s seniors decided to go around this group of young people and continue …

  • Assad calls on Kurds to join forces against ‘Turkish invasion’

    Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said in an interview with RIA Novosti that he repeatedly offered the Kurds to join forces to fight the "Turkish invaders."

    According to him, for the first time, such a proposal was made after the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding Between Turkey and Russia on October 22. Then the Kurds replied that "they are not ready to join the Syrian army."

    "We are still working to convince the Kurdish forces that joining the Syrian army and fighting against the …

  • Israel officially confirms its support for Syrian Kurds

    The Jewish state is already assisting the Syrian Kurds and will continue to do so, said Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely. “Israel has received many requests for aid in diplomatic and humanitarian matters. We are aiding them in various channels,” The Jerusalem Post cites Hotovely as saying.

    The deputy minister made the statement during a session of the Knesset. According to her, Israel’s support of the Kurds is based on “historical ties and shared interests”. “The Kurds are a …

  • Turkey hands over 18 captured Syrian soldiers to Russia

    The Turkish authorities reported that they had handed over a group of 18 servicemen of Syrian Army to Russia. Syrian soldiers were captured by Turks on October 29, near the city of Ras al-Ayn, reports Anadolu News Agency.

    The Turkish Defense Ministry reports that it agreed to transfer Syrians after discussing the situation with Russia.

    In October, Turkey began a military operation against the Kurdish armed groups in the North-Eastern regions of Syria.

  • Ankara arrests Assad supporters with Russia’s consent

    The Turkish Defense Ministry reported that 18 people linked to Bashar al-Assad’s government have been detained near the captured Syrian city of Ras al-Ayn. The Turkish department called them “elements of the regime” in a tweet.

    Turkey claims that the matter was coordinated with Russia.

    Ankara did not specify the circumstances of the arrests. There is also no information on whether or not the detainees are Syrian government soldiers. The Syrian state news agency SANA has not yet commented on …

  • Kremlin: withdrawal of Kurdish troops in Syria completed ahead of schedule

    Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu said during a meeting with his Armenian counterpart David Tonoyan that the withdrawal of armed Kurdish units from the security zone on the Syrian-Turkish border has been completed ahead of time, reports TASS. According to Shoygu, both Syrian border guards and Russian military police entered these territories.

    On October 22, at the meeting in Sochi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan agreed to resolve the military …

  • Syrian Kurds ask Israel for help

    An unnamed Kurdish politician in an interview with the Israel Army Radio (Galey Tzahal or IDF Radio), appealed to the Israeli government for help. According to the Kurdish politician, "the whole region will suffer" if no one stops the Turkish operation in Syria.

    He also warned of severe consequences not only for the Middle East but for the whole world if former militants of the Islamic State group, who fled because of the Turkish invasion, will get out of Syria.

    Earlier, representatives of …

  • Israel's Chief Rabbi urges Israeli President to stand up for Kurds

    Israel's Chief Rabbi David Lau called on Israeli President Reuven Rivlin to support the Syrian Kurds, who are fighting with the Turkish army. "These days, our hearts are with the Kurds, who are facing mass destruction," said Lau.

    The Rabbi made this statement in the festive tabernacle (sukkah), which the Israeli President visited the day before to congratulate the spiritual leader of Ashkenazi Jews on the Sukkot holiday, reports TV channel 7.

    "It is our moral duty to act immediately before it …

  • Russians held captive in Kurdish camp for ISIS supporters ask Russia for help

    The Russian women, who were in a Kurdish camp for ISIS fighters, asked the Russian authorities for help, reports RTVi TV channel. The women appealed to the member of the Human Rights Council under the Head of Chechnya, Kheda Saratova. According to the human rights activist, there are about 50 Russian citizens in the Ain Issa camp.

    After the start of the Turkish operation in Northern Syria, Kurdish military units said they wouldn't be able to guard the camps.

    The prisoners themselves say that …