Kurdish forces and humanitarian organizations have raised alarms about Turkey-backed militias seizing territory in northern Syria, putting Kurdish civilians at risk and engaging in “ethnic cleansing.”
This week, the Syrian National Army (SNA), a coalition of Turkish-supported militias, launched a military campaign in Kurdish regions shortly after Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) besieged Aleppo. The SNA's actions are aimed at diminishing Kurdish control, despite the SDF's past cooperation with U.S. forces against the Islamic State.
The Turkish government views the SDF as a terrorist organization, equating it with the PKK, which the U.S. also designates as terrorist. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claims the SDF poses a national security threat to Turkey.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported evidence of “ethnic cleansing” by pro-Turkish militias in Aleppo. They documented humanitarian violations, including communication and electricity cuts for besieged civilians in northern Aleppo, part of the SNA’s “Dawn of Freedom” operation against Kurdish forces.