All You Need to Know About What's Happening in Syria in Just 5 Minutes

For around a century now, the Kurds, an ethnic group that makes up a large portion of Syria’s population, and Turkey have been periodically at war. Recently, Turkey and the Kurdish people have been in the heat of conflict, ranging from border issues to terrorist attacks. Although the Kurds have had a difficult time in the past, recently, in an effort to join forces in order to defeat ISIS, the Kurds have had American troops by their side for protection. This all changed just a few weeks ago.

Dating back to World War I, the Kurds and Americans have had a complicated relationship. This began with President Woodrow Wilson supporting the idea of an independent state for the Kurds after the fall of the Ottoman empire. Prior to the fall of the Ottoman Empire, they lived as nomads, but the fall took away all their freedom, leaving the 30 or so million Kurds spread across the Middle East. Throughout the entirety of the 20th century, America has gone back and forth between acting as the Kurds' greatest allies and ignoring them as a whole. Over this time, America has left them stranded seven times, and we are living through the eighth. Up until October 6, the Kurds and the United States were in agreement: the Kurds were to help the US fight ISIS and in return, the United States would protect the Kurds from attacks by Turkey. On October 8, Trump abruptly ended the deal, bringing all of the American troops home. Trump claimed America’s job in Syria was done, without acknowledging the role the Kurds played in helping the United States “defeat” ISIS. He explained that the war is never-ending, and he no longer wants American soldiers fighting in dangerous circumstances. 

With the Americans gone, Turkey planned to attack the Kurds hard and fast. Turkey’s current president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ultimate goal is to eliminate the nationalist Kurdish party called the Kurdistan Workers’ Party.

On October 6, after Turkey received news from Trump saying he would not get in the way of the attack, Turkey’s troops charged into Kurdish territory. In the past week, war has erupted in Syria, leaving many dead, hundreds hurt, and millions fearful. Turkey is currently advancing towards the Syrian border, aiming to push back the Kurdish citizens further into Syria. Syrian troops are not going down without a fight, heading up north to the border, prepared to attack and defend themselves from Turkish forces. 

Another large issue that has erupted in recent months as a result of the Turkey-Kurdish conflict is the escape of thousands of ISIS fighters and their families from detention camps where they are being held. There are at least 10,000 ISIS suspects scattered across Syria in different camps, around 2,000 of which are foreign prisoners. The Kurds have been guarding these camps, but with their new focus on defending themselves from Syria, these camps are being abandoned and the people connected with ISIS that are being held there are escaping.

So what does all of this mean for the Kurds’ future? What will happen to the citizens living near the Turkey-Syria border? Who will be in control of this previously Kurdish territory? How will this impact the power ISIS has and how will that impact the United States? How will any ally trust the United States from this point forward? What happens in just the next few weeks will determine some 4 million Syrian citizens’ lives. These questions are unanswerable, as with every intense battle fought, every family that tries to escape the chaos, and every person killed, history changes.

By Ruby Kaufman