In order to prevent Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) from clearing Jarablus from ISIS, the Turkish state has begun to implement the plan it had prepared a while ago. As part of this plan, the ISIS gangs in the city would now be mobilized under the name of Free Syrian Army (FSA). After the liberation of Manbij, the Turkish government panicked and has been taking several steps in order to keep Jarablus under its control. Thinking that SDF would not take action against the FSA, the Turkish state is training many of the ISIS gangs in Jarablus so that they operate under the name of FSA. Sources in the region report that Turkey is trying to carry out this plan in collaboration with ISIS, and Turkish soldiers’ shelling and movement along the border is a pretense of fighting.

WHY?

Believing that SDF would liberate Jarablus from ISIS, Turkey is trying to argue that the town will be under FSA control as opposed to ISIS. In this way, Turkey will continue its occupation of the town and SDF forces will not be able carry out operations there. Therefore, the people and groups that occupy Jarablus will be the same but their names will be different.

AKP officials had declared numerous times that they were against a Kurdish corridor in Rojava and North Syria. However, they can no longer protect ISIS on its border and try to legitimize these gangs by tagging them as FSA.

Jarablus Military Council General Command Abdulsetar Al-Cadir had been assassinated by two agents of the Turkish Intelligence Agency (MİT) right after the establishment of the council to the north of Manbij. The Council had announced that the two assassins had been captured.

JARABLUS

Jarablus is located right across the Karkamış district of Antep and has been under ISIS occupation since January 6, 2014. The town is a major point of passage to Rojava and Syria for gang groups.