THIRTY-FIVE Syrian civilians have reportedly been killed and 75 others wounded by fresh Turkish artillery and tank fire plus air strikes on Jubb al Kusa, a village south of the city of Jarablus in Syria’s Aleppo province.
This offensive is taking place after the Geneva talks between US Secretary of State Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, concluded, according to Lavrov, with no deal, but a lessening of the ‘mutual distrust’ between the US capitalist giant and the Russian degenerated workers state. This ‘lessening’ will enable further talks on a ‘settlement’ to take place was the message.
However, the talks have produced results. The US has now dropped its air support for Kurdish forces in northern Syria that were fighting IS, and has withdrawn its special forces, while Turkey assaults the US’ former Kurdish allies.
Just a few days ago, the US threatened to shoot down Russian planes that had allegedly menaced these US special forces as the Russian planes bombed ISIS targets. The ‘Lessening of Mutual Distrust’ has led to a situation where the US has withdrawn its support for the Kurds and told them that unless they fall in line with Turkey’s requirements, to withdraw beyond the Euphrates river, the US will refuse to give them any support at all.
The US supports the Turkish invasion of northern Syria, where it is killing the Kurds not IS members, while Russia has made no official statement about the matter. Russia which was informed in advance of the Turkish military ‘Euphrates Shield’ operation has not followed the Syrian example and condemned it.
The Kurds have also staged a protest rally in the Syrian town of Kobani to warn Turkey against a potential military incursion into the town from which the Kurds have driven IS. The protest took place as reports that Turkish forces were preparing to enter Kobani were circulated by the People’s Protection Units (YPG), an armed Kurdish group.
‘We will not allow them to enter, we will stay here if necessary for days and months and… defend this land,’ said one Kobani resident.
The YPG, which is part of the once US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) coalition fighting Daesh, claimed that artillery had been fired at a village neighbouring Kobani on Friday night, and that YPG positions have also been fired upon by Turkish forces.
In January 2015, the Kurdish forces liberated Kobani from the Takfiri terrorist group of Daesh, with the Turkish army, which had tolerated the IS occupation watching the operation. Meanwhile, the terrorist forces in Aleppo excellently equipped and armed by Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the US are refusing a 48-hour ceasefire offer from Russia and the Syrian army, despite the sufferings of civilians, and are carrying on with their offensive.
The outlines of an imperialist imposed settlement in the region is now emerging. It is to be at the expense of the Kurdish people and Syria. The Kurdish people are to be suppressed inside Turkey and driven out of northern Syria, across the Euphrates. The imperialist powers are now confident that although their attempt to remove Assad before a settlement was made failed, that his early retirement will be part of any deal that is made with Russia.
This is why the imperialists will not allow the excellently armed and equipped Islamists in Aleppo to agree even a 48-hour ceasefire, since their control of at least part of the second most important Syrian city is vital, if there is to be a settlement that will see these ‘moderate Syrian Islamists’, in semi-control of part of Aleppo, figure as part of a new Syrian transitional government.
However, the Syrian masses will stand fast in the period ahead, alongside the Kurdish people and the workers of the world to demand that it is they who will decide who rules Syria.
The victory of the Syrian people will be a huge blow against the imperialist powers and be a giant step forward towards the establishment of the Palestinian state, with Jerusalem as its capital. This victory will also lead to the overthrow of the Feudal Gulf States and to an imperialist free Middle East. This will be a giant step forward for humankind!
