Idlib has been on the agenda for the region and the world recently. The region has turned into the headquarters of organizations like the FSA, Al Qaeda and ISIS. Not only radical Islamist organizations but international intelligence organizations as well run rampant in the area. And the Turkish state, with failed policies in Rojava and Syria and unable to participate in the Raqqa operation, now wants to settle in Idlib with all its strength.

YPG Commander General Sipan Hemo spoke to the Yeni Özgür Politika newspaper and stated that the true goal of the Turkish state, with its regional policy based on animosity against Kurds, is to blockade the Efrîn Canton and Shehba. Hemo openly warned the Turkish state and said: “They can’t get one step closer to Efrîn. YPG, YPJ, Jaysh al-Thuwar and the Kurdish people will teach the Turkish state a historic lesson. If the Turkish state attempts an attack on Efrîn or Shehba, the break of the Turkish state won’t be limited to this area, there will be a break everywhere they act in animosity against Kurds.”

YPG Commander General Sipan Hemo’s answers for Yeni Özgür Politika newspaper’s questions are as follows:

"ALL GANGS ARE IN IDLIB"

First, we must say that Idlib has an important place and role in the struggle of the Syrian people. Idlib was taken from the Baath regime after 2015 and various groups settled in the area. Since then, it has turned into the headquarters of radical Islamist groups like the FSA, Al Qaeda and ISIS. It became a gathering center for groups under international forces that want to fight the Syrian regime. Intelligence services from various intelligence agencies worldwide, including from Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, run rampant in the area. Meanwhile, the US and Russia are not ignoring Idlib either, they continued their presence through various methods as well.

Following the deal made among the Syrian regime, Russia, Turkey and gang groups, all the groups leaving Aleppo were settled in Idlib. Again, gang groups removed from the vicinity of Damascus and Homs were also sent to Idlib. Wherever a deal was reached in any region of Syria the gangs removed from there were directed towards Idlib.

"TURKEY’S POLICY COLLAPSED"

For all these reasons, there are many plans over Idlib. We particularly see Turkey has strategic calculations. But the Turkish state’s policies in the Middle East have collapsed one by one. Their neo-Ottoman dreams didn’t actualize, they lost in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya. They couldn’t even advance in Yemen. In Syria, the plans and policies they put forth didn’t take, and they were defeated step by step. That is why, they are using all they can to display a presence in Idlib.

The Turkish state has built and implemented their concrete policies over animosity against Kurds. They negotiated for that end. They commercialized the hopes of freedom the peoples of Syria had and used them in negotiations. They even sold the Kurdish people out to prevent their gains, they handed over Aleppo and Homs, there were strong groups fighting in the vicinity of Damascus and they handed them over as well. They did all these to prevent the gains of the Kurdish people and to weaken the Rojava Revolution.

Idlib is turning into an area of struggle to carry all calculations up to date to completion. The deal reached after the Astana talks was this: Al Nusra Front controls 90% of Idlib. The forces that have plans over Idlib aim to advance in the region through operations against Al Nusra. That is to say, they will try to achieve their other goals through the excuse of fighting Al Nusra.

WHAT HAS TURKEY DONE IN IDLIB?

According to the deal, Turkey was to support the groups allied to them, and Russia was to support the regime forces and groups allied to Iran. They had agreed on launching an operation from the south and east of Idlib, while Turkey was to simultaneously move in against Al Nusra from the west. This way, a ceasefire was reached under the name “Secure Zone”. They wanted to create an area where the war no longer continued, that was how the plan was set up. But the groups in Idlib launched an attack on the regime military bases and positions in Aleppo and Hama. The attacks lasted for a month. The Turkish state was behind these attacks. Turkey aimed to actualize in Idlib all the projects they set forth through increasing the tension and growing the chaos.

Turkey’s goal was to blockade Shehba and Efrîn. For that, they created chaos and increased tensions. That irked Russia, that was why Putin visited Ankara. He asked Ankara to prevent the attacks against the regime. Because the regime and Russia lost the ability to push back the attacks as they were weakened.

They were having a hard time, so Russia launched the operation to liberate Deir ez-Zor from ISIS as a strategic move along with Syria. As they advanced in Deir ez-Zor, when an attack was launched from Idlib on Hama, the advance towards Deir ez-Zor and the operation were weakened, almost coming to a stop. If the attack from Idlib on Hama had continued, there was a possibility that the operation forces in Deir ez-Zor would retreat. For them, Hama is more important and strategic than Deir ez-Zor.

Instead of halting the operation or withdrawing forces, they thought a solution of going to Turkey and convincing them to stop the operations was more appropriate. In return for Turkey stopping the attacks, they decided to give them what they wanted.

"TURKEY MADE A DEAL WITH NUSRA"

Steps were taken to this end, but in the first operation on Idlib, it was understood that the Turkish state had different goals. Turkey was supposed to hold the Idlib border and fight Al Nusra, but they formed an alliance with them. Turkey told Al Nusra, “We don’t have an issue with you, but you have to turn over the areas you control to the south of Efrîn to us, we won’t fight you if you turn over these areas.”

Al Nusra accepted this offer. So, the Turkish state was not to attack Al Nusra, and Al Nusra was to turn some positions strategically important against Kurds over to the Turkish gangs and soldiers.

"RUSSIA WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE OUTCOME"

Kurds pointed out that the responsibility of these attempts and their possible outcomes would fall on the Russian state. To hide their responsibility, Russia warned Turkey to not go into things other than fighting Al Nusra. But Turks openly stated that Al Nusra poses no threat to them and they had other goals.

That is why the plan they set forth is not working and a crisis has emerged. Time will tell if it will be resolved or not, but right now there is a great crisis. Of course the Kurdish people will have an intervention against these plans, but we can say that these plans don’t look like they are going to work or achieve results.

The Turkish state implements a deep rooted animosity against Kurds in the person of the Rojava revolution, and wants to achieve some results. They do all they can to this end. Turkey has turned everything into a matter of negotiation. To stop the advance of Kurds and to remove their gains, Erdoğan even marketed himself and turned his dignity into a matter of negotiation.

"THERE WILL BE A HISTORIC LESSON IN EFRÎN"

Let’s make this clear: The Turkish state, with their allied gangs, states that support them and all their means, will not achieve the goals they set in Efrîn and Shehba. They can’t get even one step closer to Efrîn. YPG, YPJ, Jaysh al-Thuwar and the Kurdish people will teach the Turkish state a historic lesson. We said this before, if the Turkish state attempts an attack on Efrîn or Shehba, the break of the Turkish state won’t be limited to this area, there will be a break everywhere they act in animosity against Kurds.

THE GOAL IS A SIEGE AND ECONOMIC BLOCKADE

Turkey is aware of this fact, so they don’t dare an attack and war. Instead of a direct attack, they are aiming for a blockade. They are planning a blockade from the Azaz side. Again, the west and north of Efrîn shares a border with Turkey, and the blockade has been developed from there already. Now they want to develop a blockade from the Idlib line for the south of Efrîn and complete the siege. They want to implement an embargo and a policy of starvation, and also develop unrest and provocation inside. With the filthy policies they will implement, they believe they can make the people of Efrîn and Rojava surrender. But, in reality, these steps and policies by Turkey will harm Turkey the worst. Again, the response by the peoples of Efrîn and Shehba will not be limited to the region.

"WE WILL FIGHT TURKEY"

We say this very clearly, when the YPG was founded it was announced that they would defend their region, and would fight all threats against Kurdish areas. If we think that the Turkish state’s presence in Rojava and Syria will do harm -which already does- we will fight against it. I’m repeating this clearly once more: we will fight. In the current situation, our opportunities are much wider, we are capable of call them to a historic account.

The onus for this war won’t just be on the Turkish state. Russia and Iran are also responsible. These forces have formed an alliance with Turkey and they accepted Turkey and settled them in the area.

We have a relationship with Russia, we are communicating and meeting. We have had very positive meetings and discussions. We hold important discussions on the future of Syria, the Kurdish people and the future of the peoples of Syria. We will not allow Turkey from forming alliances on the basis of animosity against Kurds and settle in the Efrîn border. We will fight against Turkey, and because of their responsibility, we want Russia to not fall for Turkey’s tricks.

"RUSSIA SHOULDN’T FALL FOR ERDOĞAN’S TRICKS"

Russia shouldn’t fall for Turkey’s and Erdoğan’s tricks. Russia’s interests lie with standing by the Kurdish people and the peoples of Syria. Russia’s interests lie with the political resolution of the Kurdish issue in Syria. Russia has nothing to gain from an alliance with Ankara, and there is no chance of success. It is the Turkish state since the Ottoman empire that has fought against Russia for two hundred years and prevented Russia from having a role in the Middle East. We believe that Russia is aware of this fact. Their interests don’t lie with Turkey but with the political resolution of the issues of the Kurdish people and Syria.

"WE ARE IN MEETINGS WITH RUSSIA"

We have discussions and meetings with Russia. We consider some approaches by Russia in the recent process to be positive. We consider their insistence and efforts on removing the conflicts, implementing political projects and ending the war in Syria to be positive in the general sense. We would like them to increase these efforts and attempts. We would like Russia to take on important responsibility in Kurds achieving their rights within a federal system in Syria. If they take on such a responsibility, they will gain the lasting friendship of the Kurds and, most importantly, fulfil their responsibility towards Kurds.

"ALLIANCE REVIVED"

There has been a deep rooted ongoing alliance based on animosity against Kurds in the region. There is an alliance between Turkey, Iran and Syria on this basis, from history into today. This alliance had fallen apart during the revolution process in Syria. With Turkey supporting gang groups in Syria, the alliance between Turkey, Syria and Iran had disappeared. But Iran took the developments in Southern Kurdistan, and the referendum process in particular, as an opportunity and revived this dissolved alliance. For this reason, Iran and Syria accepted Turkey’s demands and got involved in their policies.