Fear and apprehension continue to grip the Turkish town of Ceylanpınar as renewed serious clashes between Free Syrian Army (FSA) forces and Kurdish forces continue for the 12th day today just across Turkish-Syrian border in Ras al-Ayn, Syria.
Seven people in Ceylanpınar have been hit by bullets fired from Ras al-Ayn, and two of them (a seven-year-old girl and 32-year-old man) have been seriously wounded.
Yesterday a rocket propelled grenade fired from Ras al-Ayn hit a home in Ceylanpınar but fortunately failed to explode and was disposed of by police and military munitions experts.
Last week an anti-aircraft shell fired from Ras al-Ayn hit an electric line in Ceylanpınar leaving much of the town in darkness for one night.
The streets of Ceylanpınar are very quiet during the day and deserted at night as people are afraid to go outside. Even staying indoors is not completely safe because many instances of bullets passing through the walls of homes and schools have been reported.
The schools of Ceylanpınar were generally empty last week as parents kept their children home. This week and next week is semester break in Turkey.
Businesses in Ceylanpınar are experiencing a major drop in sales.
Unrest in Ceylanpınar is reported to be growing as people are often unable to get treatment at the hospital there because the doctors are too busy treating wounded FSA fighters who are being transported acosss the border for treatment.
Every day the municipal government of Ceylanpınar is providing hot meals for more than 5,000 Syrians in Ceylanpınar who have fled across the border but have not registered as refugees with the Turkish government and as a result are not housed in refugee camps. These Syrians are living in unused homes or businesses and 20 or 30 people sharing one apartment is not uncommon.
The refugee camp in Ceylanpınar now has 37,366 Syrian refugees - well over its capacity, and the refugee camp in Akçakale, Turkey 100 km (62 miles) west of Ceylanpınar now has 30,469 Syrian refugees - also well over its capacity.
Background
Ceylanpınar, Turkey has a population of about 47,000. It's people are predominately Kurds and Arabs with Kurds in the majority. Its mayor is from the BDP, the Kurdish party in Turkey.
Until last November Ras al-Ayn, Syria was a quiet farm town of about 55,000 people - Kurds, Arabs, Assyrians, Armenians, and Chechens. The town was nominally under the control of the Syrian government which had a minimal military presence there but was generally administered by local councils.
On November 6th FSA forces (including Islamic radical forces) from outside the area attacked the town and occupied much of it, defeating the Syrian government forces there after a few days of fighting during which the town was bombed 9 to 12 times by Syrian government aircraft.
Within a week Ras al-Ayn was essentially deserted as clashes between FSA forces and Kurdish forces broke out. Tens of thousands of Syrians crossed the border from Ras al-Ayn, and areas around it, to Ceylanpınar while tens of thousands more (predominately Kurds, Assyrians, Armenians, and Alawites) fled to Kurdish areas east of Ras al-Ayn and to Al-Hasakah city to the southeast of Ras al-Ayn.
Ras al-Ayn remains mostly deserted today.
During this week and for several weeks following it the fighting in Ras al-Ayn also had a serious effect on the people across the border in Ceylanpınar. The Turkish government had to close schools several times, people were afraid to go outside and the streets of Ceylanpınar were empty, parents kept their children home even when the schools were open, and several people were wounded by stray bullets.
There are many reports of people in Ras al-Ayn, especially Kurds, Assyrians, Armenians, and Alawites, being terrorized by FSA forces.
In the middle of December an uneasy truce between the two sides was established but major clashes between FSA forces and Kurdish forces began again on January 16th and have continued since then.
Why Ras al-Ayn
A quick look at the map provides the answer.
1. There is a border crossing (although generally little-used) between Ceylanpınar and Ras al-Ayn which can be used for supplying rebel forces.
2. Ras al-Ayn is on the western border of the Al-Hasakah Governorate and most of the northern part of this governorate, to the east of Ras al-Ayn, is controlled by Kurdish groups. By controlling Ras al-Ayn the FSA may be hoping to cut contact between the areas under Kurdish control in Al-Hasakah Governorate and the areas under Kurdish control in the northern districts of the Aleppo Governorate.
3. Ras al-Ayn is a very important wheat production area and one of the main problems faced by the Syrian opposition and FSA forces is a lack of food.
4. Ras al-Ayn is only 75 km (46 miles) northwest of the city of Al-Hasakah which is under Syrian government control and the FSA may believe that Ras al-Ayn could be used as a base to advance on Al-Hasakah.
Success or Failure for the FSA and Syrian Opposition
While the FSA today retains control of much of the deserted town of Ras al-Ayn they are reportedly suffering heavy losses there and will only be able to maintain their positions there if the Turkish government allows them to be supplied through the Ceylanpınar border crossing.
Anti-FSA sentiment among Kurds in Syria has greatly increased recently because of events in Ras al-Ayn and this may result in the complete collapse of efforts to include Syrian Kurds politically and militarily in a unified Syrian opposition.
The FSA has recently been making statements that the abuses in Ras al-Ayn were done by radical Islamic forces and has also been trying to distance themselves publicly from the radical Islamic forces in Ras al-Ayn.
The Turkish government has been taking heavy political hits because of its support for rebel forces in Ras al-Ayn and this along with the rebel forces inability to solidify their positions in Ras al-Ayn may result in a withdrawal of support for the rebels there which would probably very quickly result in a rebel defeat in Ras al-Ayn.
Maps
Ceylanpınar, Turkey
Ras al-Ayn, Syria
These are some of my previous posts about Syria.
Syria - Jabhat al-Nusrah
Syria - Seven Ways Events Might Develop in Syria This Year
Syria - Information which Might Help You Understand the Country a Little Better
Syria - Information which Might Help You Understand the Country a Little Better II
Syria - Information which Might Help You Understand the Country a Little Better II Annex
Syria - Information which Might Help You Understand the Country a Little Better III
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I also wrote about the Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon in these posts.
• The Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon Timeline 1918 - 1946 Part I
- Introduction
- Terms
- Excerpts from Documents Relevant to the Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon
• The Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon Timeline 1918 - 1946 Part II
- The Sinai and Palestine Campaign at the End of World War I
- OETA North - From the end of the war to August 10, 1920
- OETA North - August 10, 1920 to January 7, 1922
• The Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon Timeline 1918 - 1946 Part III
- OETA West - From the end of the war to August 10, 1920
• The Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon Timeline 1918 - 1946 Part IV
- OETA East - From the end of the war to August 10, 1920
• The Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon Timeline 1918 - 1946 Part V
- Lebanon - August 10, 1920 to December 31, 1946
• The Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon Timeline 1918 - 1946 Part VI
- Syria - August 10, 1920 to April 17, 1946
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