The Turkish state is deliberately trying to manipulate public perception of the situation in northeast Syria in order to underpin its occupation policy. The bloody attack in Afrin is also wanted to be instrumentalized for this purpose.
Internal conflicts between jihadist mercenary troops in the Turkish-occupied territories of northern Syria led to a bloodbath in Afrin on Tuesday. According to available information, at least 46 people were killed in Tuesday’s attack, including civilians. Over fifty people were injured.
Only minutes after the explosion, the Turkish Ministry of Defence said: "The PKK/YPG misanthropists have once again attacked innocent civilians in Afrin.” With this statement, which was made immediately immediately after the attack, the Turkish state is trying to turn attention in a different direction and to create the conditions for a new occupation plan. However, the reality on the ground is different.
In recent days, the chaos and conflicts between jihadist groups have intensified throughout the Turkish occupation zone. How the foundation stone was laid for Tuesday’s massacre in Afrin is shown by the internal reckoning of the Turkish army and its mercenary troops in the past two weeks in Idlib, Afrin, Jarablus, al-Bab, Azaz, Girê Spî (Tal Abyad) and Serêkaniyê (Ras al-Ain).
Some of these incidents are as follows:
April 13th
- Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) prevented a joint Turkish-Russian patrol on the M4 motorway between Aleppo and Latakia. Turkey sent police units to Idlib, HTS positioned its own armed units against it.
- In the village of al-Nayrab near Idlib, HTS arrested a leader of the Turkish-backed militia Faylaq al-Sham.
- In the rural surroundings of al-Nayrab, HTS arrested a group of Turkish-backed militia.
- At the same time, HTS-Kadi of Idlib was killed in a car bomb attack in Kafr Taharim.
April 16
- Three jihadists were killed in a Turkish drone attack on militiamen in the area of Sayh al-Gab south of Idlib.
April 19
- A high-ranking HTS commander was killed when a bomb attached to his vehicle was detonated.
April 20th
- The Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the HTS - without calling it by name - as Başı Bozuk (bashi-bazouk), -Irregular troops of the Ottoman Empire composed of different population groups. The term means translated as "leaderless" or "irregulars", but literally "damaged head".
- In the district of Mahmudiyah in Afrin, an armed conflict broke out between the militias Jabhat al-Shamiya and Sultan Murad Brigade.
- At the same time, in the center of Serêkaniyê, there were clashes between the Katiba Mutassim militias and the "military police" established by the Turkish state.
- In the neighborhoods of Mehetê and Xirabe in Serêkaniyê, fighting broke out between Ahrar al-Sharqiya and the Hamza Brigade.
April 21st
- An internal armed conflict between the Hamza Brigade took place in Afrin.
April 26th
- Two HTS members were shot dead by soldiers of the Turkish army during the blockade of a Turkish-Russian patrol on the M4 in Idlib.
- HTS attacked a Turkish military post near Nayrab. According to HTS, one tank was destroyed and three soldiers of the Turkish army were killed.
- Turkish combat drones bombed an HTS post.
- Representatives of HTS and Turkey then held talks in Camp al-Mustama.
April 27th
- Nine ISIS members broke out of a Turkish-controlled prison in al-Bab.
- After disagreements between jihadist groups in al-Bab, a large explosion occurred in the city.
- According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a drone of unknown origin bombed the Turkish-backed militia Jabhat Wataniya lil-Tahrir (National Front for Liberation) in the rural area of Homs.
April 28th
- At a checkpoint in Idlib, the HTS prevented the passage of a Turkish military convoy.
- In Shergirak near Ain Issa, there were skirmishes between Turkish militiamen.
Attack on Kobanê
The Turkish state tries to influence public perception in order to legitimize the occupation of Northeast Syria. Shortly before the attack in Turkish-occupied Afrin on Tuesday, Turkish combat drones had attacked a checkpoint of the security forces in Kobanê.
Manipulation of public perception
SDF spokesman Kino Gabriel referred in a statement of 27th April to the "perception operation" of the Turkish state with which the latter tries to underpin the legitimacy of the occupation of Northern Syria, which is contrary to international law, by manipulating public perception:
"Recently, false reports on the military and general situation in the occupied Serêkaniyê and Girê Spî regions and in Til Rifat have been published on the website of the Turkish Ministry of Defence and through official accounts of the Turkish National Security Council. As the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), we expressly declare that the above-mentioned statements and reports do not correspond to reality. It is an attempt to distort the reality on the ground despite the agreements that have been concluded. None of our forces are present in the areas mentioned. On the contrary, the villages in these areas are being bombed by forces of the Turkish state and jihadist mercenary groups. Civilians have been injured and the infrastructure has been destroyed.”
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