As fighting in Syria’s rebel bastion of Idlib rages on, fueled by a Turkish thrust to reverse government gains, a less palpable but related struggle is under way to the north, where the Syrian Kurds are weighing their options on how to wrestle back Turkish-controlled Afrin. 

Held by Turkey and its allied groups since 2018, Afrin has been high on the Kurdish agenda in recent weeks, though the escalation in Idlib has overshadowed tensions in the region. In the words of a local Kurdish source, “Preparation of plans to liberate Afrin was already under way, but with the escalation in Idlib, this became an issue of discussion with Russia and the Syrian regime.” 

Keeping a watchful eye on the preparations, Turkey has been shelling the route to Tel Rifaat, which the Kurds have used to retreat from Afrin and launch countermoves in the area.

Last month, Al-Monitor reported about the prospects of the Kurds joining forces with the Syrian army once it secured the M5 highway and regained control of Aleppo’s northwestern countryside to reach the southern boundaries of Afrin. Al-Monitor has learned that contacts took place between the Syrian army and the Afrin Liberation Forces, a group comprised of Kurdish fighters from Afrin, in early February, as the fighting in Idlib intensified. While the Kurds focused on retaking Afrin, Damascus prioritized the prospect of joint action in Idlib. During the contacts, the two sides discussed the terms of Kurdish collaboration with the Syrian army. The Kurds conditioned their involvement in Idlib on a joint thrust on Afrin. The prospect of opening an Afrin front was discussed with the Russians as well.