Ankara faces hostility in north Syria as Turkish-Russian patrols continue
Crowds threw stones and eggs at Turkish-Russian convoys as they entered the predominantly Kurdish town of Kobani in northern Syria.
Turkish and Russian troops in armored vehicles were pelted with rocks and eggs by a jeering crowd during their second joint ground patrol in northern Syria today, near Kobani, a predominantly Kurdish town on the Turkish border that was a symbol of resistance against the Islamic State and now Turkey.
Men, women and children gathered to protest the convoy, chanting anti-Turkish slogans and flashing victory signs. “We are Kurds. We are proud. We want our rights. Turkey can never annihilate us,” shouted a woman in a video shared on social media.
The reception bodes ill for Turkey’s plans to gain a foothold in Kurdish territories, where hostility toward the Turkish army is mounting by the minute since its Oct. 9 assault against the US-backed People’s Protection Units (YPG).
The patrol falls under a deal signed by Turkey and Russia stating that YPG fighters are to be pushed 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the Turkish border to address the security threat posed by the group.
