SUMMARY

On 23 march 2019, SDF took control over IS's last stronghold in northern Syria. By that date, SDF managed to control most of IS’s territories in Eastern Syria. While this marked a big win for the SDF, it came with a price. These developments increased Turkey’s concerns, particularly as it sees YPG as an offshoot of the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK), an armed group that has fought an intrastate armed conflict against the Government of Turkey since the 1980s.

In early 2018, the Turkish-backed SNA launched operation Olive Branch to capture SDF-held Afrin in northwestern Syria. With the heavy involvement of Turkey through airstrikes, shelling and Turkish soldiers on the ground, SNA was able to seize control over Afrin. SDF continued to fight SNA in the area using guerrilla warfare tactics.

The US-led international coalition, which had previously supported SDF, withdrew most of their troops from Syria in October 2019. Just a few days later, Turkey and SNA initiated Operation Peace Spring, and started to target SDF-held border towns in Raqqah, Al Hasakah and Aleppo governorates. Subsequently the Turkish-backed SNA captured an area stretching from border towns of Tall Abyad in Raqqah governorate, to Ras al Ayn in Al Hasakah governorate, and led to the displacement of over 300 000 civilians.

With the latest operation against the group, the SDF turned to the Russia-supported Syrian government for help. Though the Syrian government denies the legitimacy of SDF and the two parties disagree on several crucial issues, they have retained a relatively calm relationship throughout the Syrian civil war. That allowed both actors to keep an open line of communications, mostly through Russia, which, in turn, made it possible for them to quickly negotiate and reach an agreement.

On October 17, the US mediated an agreement between SDF and Turkey, which led to a halt to the Turkish-backed SNA Peace Spring operation. Since then hostilities were mainly skirmishes and exchanges of shelling, mostly carried out by the SNA.