While the bustling streets of Damascus may be relatively calm, the same cannot be said for the northeastern region of Syria, where battles continue to rage on between various factions.
The city of Damascus, the capital of Syria, has been relatively quiet in recent months as the government forces of President Bashar al-Assad have regained control over much of the country. However, in the northeast, a different story is unfolding as clashes between Kurdish forces, Turkish-backed rebels, and Islamic State militants continue to destabilize the region.
The fighting in northeast Syria has been ongoing for years, ever since the Syrian civil war broke out in 2011. The region is strategically important due to its proximity to the border with Turkey and its oil-rich resources, making it a hotbed for conflict between various groups vying for power and control.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have been at the forefront of the battle against the Islamic State in the region, with the support of the United States and other Western allies. However, the recent withdrawal of American troops from the area has left the SDF vulnerable to attacks from Turkish-backed rebels, who view the Kurdish fighters as terrorists.
The Turkish government has long been at odds with the Kurdish groups in Syria, viewing them as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a separatist group that has been waging a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state. The Turkish military launched a military offensive into northeastern Syria in October 2019, aiming to push back the Kurdish forces and create a “safe zone” along the border.
The fighting in northeastern Syria has resulted in countless civilian casualties, displacing thousands of people and creating a humanitarian crisis in the region. The violence has also allowed the Islamic State to regroup and launch attacks on both Kurdish and government forces, further complicating the situation on the ground.
As the battles rage on in northeast Syria, the international community has been slow to intervene, with many countries hesitant to get involved in the complex web of alliances and rivalries that define the conflict. Meanwhile, the people of Syria continue to suffer as the violence shows no signs of abating.
In the midst of this chaos, the relative calm in Damascus stands as a stark contrast to the violence unfolding in the country’s northeast. While the government may have regained control over much of Syria, the fighting in the northeast serves as a reminder that the country’s long and bloody conflict is far from over.