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Turkey Continues Afrin Operation amid US Call for Restraint

Smoke rises from the Syria's Afrin region, as it is pictured from near the Turkish town of Hassa. (Reuters)
Smoke rises from the Syria's Afrin region, as it is pictured from near the Turkish town of Hassa. (Reuters)
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Turkey Continues Afrin Operation amid US Call for Restraint

Smoke rises from the Syria's Afrin region, as it is pictured from near the Turkish town of Hassa. (Reuters)
Smoke rises from the Syria's Afrin region, as it is pictured from near the Turkish town of Hassa. (Reuters)

Turkey continued on Tuesday its military operation against the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) in Afrin in northern Syria, while Washington called on Ankara to exercise restraint.

The Kurdish-led authorities in the area meanwhile called for mass mobilization in defense of Afrin against Turkey’s offensive.

“The will of the people cannot be vanquished,” the civilian administration said in a statement. “We call on all our noble people to defend Afrin and its pride, and to contribute in all related activities.”

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that fierce battles had taken place in Afrin on the fourth day of the offensive.

Turkey’s Operation Olive Branch has been criticized by the United States and European Union that interpreted it as Ankara opening a new front in the Syrian conflict.

US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis urged Turkey to exercise restraint in its military operations.

“We seriously take Turkey’s security valid concerns… but in the Afrin area, we had actually gotten to the point where humanitarian aid was flowing, refugees were coming back in ... The Turkish incursion disrupts that effort,” he said.

Qatar meanwhile voiced its support for the Turkish offensive, saying that it is aimed at defending its national security.

"The state of Qatar reaffirmed its support for the efforts of the republic of Turkey to maintain its national security in the wake of the breaches and terrorist attacks carried out inside Turkish territories," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Lolwa Al-Khater said on Monday.

It also stems from its concern to protect Syrian territories from the threat of separatism.

Turkey views the YPG as a terror group and an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has long fought for autonomy.

The Observatory said that since the beginning of the offensive some 60 YPG and Ankara-backed Syrian opposition faction members have been killed.

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Syria’s Reconciliation Committee Prioritizes Stability after Anger Over Prisoner Releases

Member of the High Committee for National Reconciliation Hassan Soufan and the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Facebook)
Member of the High Committee for National Reconciliation Hassan Soufan and the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Facebook)
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Syria’s Reconciliation Committee Prioritizes Stability after Anger Over Prisoner Releases

Member of the High Committee for National Reconciliation Hassan Soufan and the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Facebook)
Member of the High Committee for National Reconciliation Hassan Soufan and the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Facebook)

Syria’s High Committee for National Reconciliation has defended recent controversial prisoner releases, saying the decision aims to preserve national stability amid ongoing tensions.

Committee member Hassan Soufan confirmed that several officers recently freed had voluntarily surrendered in 2021 at the Iraqi border and in the Al-Sukhna region, under a formal request for safe conduct.

Speaking at a press conference in Damascus on Tuesday, Soufan addressed public backlash following the releases and acknowledged the deep pain felt by victims’ families.

“We fully understand the anger and grief of the families of martyrs,” he said. “But the current phase requires decisions that can help secure relative stability for the coming period.”

The controversy erupted after the Ministry of Interior announced on Sunday the release of dozens of detainees in Latakia, many of whom were arrested during the “Deterrence of Aggression” operation, which contributed to the fall of the Assad regime.

Among those involved in the mediation effort was Fadi Saqr, a former commander in the regime’s National Defense Forces, who has been accused of war crimes, including involvement in the Tadamon massacre in southern Damascus.

Soufan explained that the released officers had undergone investigation and were found not to have participated in war crimes. “Keeping them imprisoned no longer serves a national interest,” he said. “It has no legal justification.”

He stressed that Syria is in a delicate phase of national reconciliation, in which balancing justice and peace is critical.

“There are two parallel tracks - transitional justice and civil peace - and today, the priority is civil peace, as it lays the groundwork for all other strategic efforts,” he said.

Soufan added that the committee has requested expanded powers from the Syrian president, including the authority to release detainees not proven guilty and to coordinate directly with state institutions.

He insisted that the aim is not to bypass justice, but to prevent further bloodshed. “Vengeance and retribution are not paths to justice,” he said. “They allow real criminals to slip away while deepening divisions.”

While affirming that transitional justice remains essential, Soufan noted that it should focus on top perpetrators of atrocities, not individuals who merely served under the regime. “Justice means accountability for those who planned and carried out major crimes, not blanket punishment.”