After Turkish Foreign Ministry's statement that “Life is back to normal in Afrin”, Turkey has started to withdraw the surplus soldiers and equipment from the city. What is this “normalization”, and are they minimizing the target in face of YPG actions?
Turkey has started to withdraw some gendarmerie tank battalions from Afrin city center and districts like Jindires and Rajo. Sources say some tank battalions retreated to the back side of Atme and the surroundings of Azaz and Manbij last night and this morning.
Sources say the Turkish state is leaving their forces on strategic hills as is. The Turkish state is said to be aiming to stay in Afrin and control the city through the administration they founded that is loyal to them.
A Russian committee went to Afrin from the Turkey side on July 4 and held several meetings.
AFRIN ISN’T NORMALIZED, IT’S BOILING
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hami Aksoy went on a television program on July 1 and stated that life has gone back to normal in Afrin, but Turkey would remain for a while longer. But after the invasion, nothing has been normal.
The invaders torture, loot, steal, rape, demolish every day and clashes between gangs continue.
YPG/YPJ forces and the SDF are not letting the invaders breathe easy with the actions they carry out as part of the Phase 2 in the Afrin resistance. The increasing pressure has caused clashes among gangs and uprisings among he clans who cooperated with the Turkish state during the invasion process.
When the Foreign Ministry spokesperson issued the statement, there was an intensified air of terror in Afrin after the 3 back to back explosions on June 27 and house raids were in progress. Contrary to what Aksoy said, after the invasion Afrin hasn’t achieved stability at all, and is boiling below the surface despite all attempts by the Turkish fascism to subdue it.MINIMIZING THE TARGET IN THE FACE OF YPG
One reason that the Turkish state started to withdraw some soldiers, heavy weapons and military equipment from Afrin is that Afrin is actually not safe for the Turkish state anymore.
Officially, 6.400 Turkish soldiers and 25.000 gang members from 47 gangs including ISIS and Al Nusra which are on international terrorist lists took part in the Turkish state’s invasion operation against Afrin launched on January 18. True numbers are assumed to be much higher.
The Turkish state moves the excess soldiers and equipment out of Afrin to other regions, and at the same time tries to create this air that “Afrin is achieving peace step by step and we are not invaders”, and also minimizing the targets in the face of YPG/YPJ actions.
RUSSIAN-TURKISH STAMPED PLAN TO CHANGE THE DEMOGRAPHICS CONTINUES
Both during the invasion operation against Afrin, and with the invaders entering the city on March 18, some 100.000 people have been brought in to Afrin from Syrian refugees in Ghouta, Homs, Hama and Turkey.
This new population is was geared towards changing the demographic makeup of Afrin, and like in the negotiations for Afrin in return for Ghouta, they acted together in the plan to change the demographics. As a Russian plan, the people from Afrin in Shehba were attempted to be lured to live under invasion in Afrin, but they are not allowed to return home.
The Russian committee entering Afrin from Turkey on July 3 and visiting the families from Ghouta in Shiye and Jindirese along with Turkish officials in Afrin on July 2 shows that the plan to change the demographics will continue, and creates suspicions that some regions could be left for the Russians to control.
