Cedars, December 2019

December 2019 8 OFF-CAMPUS ‘No Friends But The Mountains’ The Kurds suffer in the midst of U.S. policy changes by Chloie Benton A fter the White House’s recent decision to withdraw troops from the Syria-Turkey border, the displaced Kurds have once again adopted the mantra, “No friends but the mountains.” The Kurds are the largest stateless people group in the world and a longstanding ally of the United States. They live primarily in the mountainous regions of Iran, Syria, Armenia, Turkey and Iraq. They have been pursuing the formation of an independent state for over a century. Kurds in each country have endured increasing hardship in recent years, but Syrian Kurds are in the crosshairs of death. For the past eight years, Syria has been in a tumultuous civil war. In 2011, the Syrian government, backed by Russia and Iran, arrested and reportedly tortured 15 school chil- dren for writing anti-government graffiti on walls at school. Resulting protests began peacefully, but violence sparked when government forces shot and killed several protesters. Unrest increased and soon civil war erupted between gov- ernment supporters and rebels calling for the president’s resignation. In the midst of violence, the Kurds retreated to areas of Northern Syria where they began functioning large- ly independent of the Syrian government. ISIS fighters from Iraq took advantage of the war by invading and conquering strategic Syrian cities which pro- vided them weapons and land. By the end of 2017, Kurdish and Arab forces joined together with support from foreign powers, including the U.S., to wage war on ISIS. Two years later, military victory was declared over the jhadist group, and the Kurds imprisoned thousands of ISIS fighters. U.S. forces remained in Northern Syria to train the Kurds and guard the prisons until the recent White House decision changed the landscape of the Middle East. On October 13, President Trump ordered a withdrawal of American troops from the border between northeastern Syria and Turkey. The troops were stationed strategically to stabilize the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and prevent further ISIS attacks. The decision to withdraw American forces immediately destabilized the country, placing Syria at the mercy of land-hungry Turkish forces, who invaded days after the withdrawal was completed. Turkey’s intentions are far from obscure. In an attempt to restore the caliphate disbanded in 1924, Turkish forces continue to invade Syria and conquer land originally part of the Turkish Ottoman Empire. Turkey’s defense minis- ter posted a map to his social media claiming portions of Greece, Syria and Iraq were part of a greater Turkey. In order to achieve a re-uni- fied Ottomon Empire, the Kurds, who have long been fighting Turkey for land and a country to call their own, must be eradicated. Dr. Glen Duerr, associ- ate professor of internation- al studies at Cedarville Uni- versity, says the invasion of the Turkish forces into Syria grossly violates United Na- tions standards and conven- tions on territorial integrity. Additionally, Turkish forces have been committing atro- cious war crimes. Innocent Kurdish civilians are being slaughtered, gang raped, mutilated and beheaded as part of the invasion. Medical units and humanitarian convoys have also been targeted. “The Syrian Kurds could face genocidal actions on the part of the Turkish military,” Duerr said as a result of the U.S. withdrawal. These reported and recorded war crimes took place in the midst of the alleged “safe zone” during the five-day “ceasefire,” agreed upon by President Trump and Turkish President Recep Erdogan on October 17. Shortly after the ceasefire was announced, the Turkish foreign minister was filmed saying, “We got what we want- ed. This is not a ceasefire.” Dalton Thomas, founder and CEO of Frontier Alliance International (FAI), a Christian organization working in the Middle East, has been on the ground in Northern Syria since U.S. forces were withdrawn offering humanitarian aid and advocating for the Kurds. Thomas called the Turkish assault on the Kurds “the largest ethnic cleansing campaign of the century.” He later released a video pleading with Americans to send help, claiming, “You’ve been lied to and people are dying. There is no safe zone — there is no ceasefire.” Despite President Trump’s efforts to disentangle the United States from the Syrian crisis, the decision may de- mand far greater action in the future. The decision to pull U.S. troops has created an unstable power vacuum which paves the way for the return of ISIS. The Kurds continue to tirelessly defend ISIS prison camps in northern Syria, but with the conflicts tak- ing place and severe lack of troops, prisoner escapes are becoming commonplace. Attacks of ISIS sleeper cells are increasing dramatically in Syrian villages, and ISIS has claimed several recent attacks alongside the Turk- ish forces. Undoubtedly, the jhiadist group will re- emerge on the world’s stage soon. The U.S. betrayed the Kurds, but it’s not the first time. The Kurds have en- dured centuries of regime changes, persecution and attempted genocide while their so-called allies looked on. In 1980, Saddam Hussein slaughtered hundreds of thousands of Iraqi Kurds, plac- ing them in concentration camps and launching chemical attacks on their cities. It was not until 20 years after his “Arabization” campaign, that the U.S. launched an opera- tion and captured Hussein, handing him over to the Iraqi military for execution. The removal of troops reaches further than the Kurds, and further then an impending return of ISIS. The insta- bility of Syria places Christians at the forefront of senseless slaughter and persecution. During World War I, Turkey launched a massive cam- paign to exterminate Armenian Christians. Many fled to Syria, where they found refuge in several villages along the Khabur River until being ravaged by ISIS in recent years. Now, Turkish forces seem eager to cleanse the area not only of the Kurds, but of the Armenian Christians as well. Sever- al attacks have already been launched on the villages, and more will come. Christians have often turned a blind eye to the plight of the Kurds, or ignored what US policy has caused such suffering. In a call to American Christians, Thomas said: “As fol- lowers of Jesus, we are called to stand against evil and to labor to protect innocent life.” Chloie Benton is a senior Cedarville University student and an Off-Campus writer for Cedars. “The Syrian Kurds could face genocidal actions on the part of the Turkish military.” Dr. Glen Duerr Associate Professor of International Studies