The Turkish army deployed special troops last night in Ceylanpınar, the district opposite the town of Serêkaniyê in the Cizir canton of Rojava. The troops were taken to Ceylanpinar in buses late last night and have been deployed in the refugee camp in Ceylanpınar. People staying in the camp said the deployment of special troops is a preparation for war.

The military deployment of forces and operations are on the increase in the cities in North Kurdistan in the pre-election period. Following the deployment to border cities, primarily to Hakkari, in recent weeks, now special troops have been deployed, this time in the border district of Ceylanpinar. While discussions on launching an operation to establish a buffer zone on the border of Rojava and Syria continue, hundreds of special troops were deployed in Ceylanpinar district of Urfa, which is across from the Serêkaniyê district of the Cizir canton of Rojava.

100 of those soldiers were stationed in the Telhamut refugee camp in Ceylanpinar on 7 May, while 182 others were deployed in the state-run AFAD tent city, which resides within the borders of Ceylanpinar but is affiliated to Viranşehir district. Big tents for the troops were set up at a distance from the other tents where the refugees stay. These camps run by the Turkish state are known for sheltering newly recruited members of ISIS or Al-Nusra for training and for providing logistic support to these extremist groups.

An inhabitant of the camp from Rojava, who preferred not to give his name, said they interpret the deployment of new forces as a preparation for war, specifically when rumours are going around regarding the wish of the AKP to cancel the 7 June elections on the pretext of entering a war with Syria (Rojava) as it becomes more and more likely that it will not be able to achieve the desired number of seats in parliament.

In the meantime, it has been said to people staying in the camps that the soldiers were deployed for election security. However, the deployment of specially trained forces in a night operation to the camps at a distance of 15-20km from the cities and where civilians cannot enter, and especially the deployment of them opposite Serêkaniyê where fierce clashes are taking place between the YPG/YPJ forces and ISIS gangs has raised concerns amongst the inhabitants of the camps.