A Kurdish official told Asharq Al-Awsat on Friday that signs of regional-international agreements started to appear lately concerning the division of north Syria, where US-Turkish forces should deploy in the city of Manbij in exchange of a Russian-sponsored “symbolic presence” of Syrian regime forces in the city of Afrin.
The official uncovered that contacts were currently held with Damascus to sign a text deal stipulating the symbolic entrance of regime forces and security institutions to central Afrin.
“It seems Moscow, which rejected to cooperate two weeks ago, has now agreed on a new version allowing the presence of the Syrian state in Afrin. Regime forces are expected to head from Aleppo to Afrin in the upcoming hours,” the Kurdish official said.
The latest development coincided Friday with a Syrian regime decision to allow Kurds demonstrate in Damascus against the Turkish military operation in northern Syria, carrying portraits of Abdullah Ocalan, imprisoned leader of the PKK.
Ocalan was arrested and then jailed on an island prison in Turkey, after being kicked out of Damascus 19 years ago following a deal with Ankara. Since 1999, Turkey considers Ocalan’s PKK party as a terrorist organization.
Kurdish officials said they had informed the US army about their contacts with Damascus, adding that “the Americans did not mind.”
Turkish sources told Asharq Al-Awsat on Friday that Ankara had proposed to Washington the deployment of Turkish-US forces in Manbij to kick out Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) to east Euphrates.
The Kurdish official said that since the start of Turkey’s “Olive Branch” operation, leaders from the YPG started to contact Damascus, asking the regime to send its “Border Guards” to defend Syria’s northern border.
The official said that Russia had prevented Damascus from achieving such mission, due to a deal signed between Turkey and Russia allowing Ankara to protect its national security from northern Syria and stipulating the withdrawal of Russian forces from Afrin to other areas.
