Kurds Begin Countdown to Federalism
The Kurds and their allies aim to firm up plans in the next six months for an autonomous political federation in northern Syria, despite objections from foreign governments that its establishment could lead to the breakup of the war-torn country.
Syria’s Kurds are creating their own opportunities out of the chaos on the ground in an area of the country known as Rojava.
Hadiya Yousef, a Kurdish official leading efforts to create the new government of Rojava, said in an interview with Reuters she believes that it’s time for world powers to back the plans fully because they will not only lead to Kurdish autonomy but will also help resolve the crisis in Syria.
“We don’t expect hostile parties to support this project,” she said, “but we hope Western states that have lived the experience of unions and federalism to support this type of project.”
Kurdish militias, in particular the People’s Protection Units (YPG), have proved to be the U.S.-led coalition’s most effective ground force in the war on the Islamic State group.
U.S. support for the YPG and its political wing, the Democratic Union Party (PYD), has not translated into support for the group’s push for a federalist solution.
The YPG and the PYD have been excluded from peace talks in Geneva due to Turkish concerns that Kurdish autonomy in Syria will embolden its own Kurdish separatist minority.
Russia Confirms Crash of Attack Helicopter in Homs
Russia’s defense ministry confirmed the crash on Tuesday in Homs of one its Mi-28N Night Hunter attack helicopters and the death of both of its pilots, Reuters reports.
“A group of specialists is working at the crash site to investigate the incident,” the ministry said, claiming the helicopter was not shot down.
The bodies of the two dead pilots have been returned to Russia’s air base in Hmeymim in Latakia.
Tuesday marks the third time since it militarily intervened in Syria’s war that Russia has lost an aircraft. Last November, the Turkish air force shot down a Russian Sukhoi-24 near the Turkish-Syrian border. Rebels then destroyed a helicopter sent to rescue the downed jet’s pilots.
Despite President Putin’s announcement last month that Russia would begin a military drawdown from Syria, Russia has continued to supply the Syrian army with military equipment and air support.
Ground Battles Rage Ahead of Parliamentary Elections
The Syrian army and its allied militia have launched an offensive against militant groups across the country’s north just hours ahead of parliamentary elections, the Associated Press reports.
The elections – which will be held in 12 of Syria’s 14 government-controlled provinces – are expected to rubber-stamp a parliament loyal to President Bashar al-Assad ahead of the resumption of peace talks set for later this week.
While the Assad government has said the vote is constitutional and separate from the peace talks, the opposition has argued that it will only contribute to the increasingly negative climate for negotiations in Geneva.
Tuesday’s offensive aims to retake a strategic hilltop – Tel al-Ais – in southern Aleppo from armed forces including the al-Qaida-affiliated al-Nusra Front.
The U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said fighting was ongoing in Tel al-Ais and the neighboring village of Khan Touman, and that dozens of Syrian troops and allied militants had been killed in Tuesday’s clashes.
Recommended Reads:
- The Washington Post: Weeks After ‘Pullout’ From Syria, Russian Military Is as Busy as Ever
- The Washington Institute: The Alawites in Syrian Society: Loud Silence in a Declaration of Identity Reform
- The New York Times: Syria’s Partial Cease-Fire Shows Signs of Crumbling
- Amnesty International: Baby Steps on the Long Road to Justice for Atrocities in Syria
Top image: A photo released on the official Facebook page of the Syrian presidency shows Syrian president Bashar al-Assad casting his ballot in the parliamentary elections, with his wife Asma, left, standing next to him, in Damascus on Wednesday, April 13, 2016. (Associated Press)