伊拉克库尔德斯坦地区政府驻伦敦代表驳斥了唐纳德·特朗普总统试图推卸土耳其对叙利亚库尔德人领导的部队采取军事行动的责任。

　　高级代表卡尔万·贾马尔·塔希尔与新闻周刊周三，就在土耳其总统雷杰普·塔伊普·埃尔多安在叙利亚东北部库尔德人控制的地区发起和平之春行动几小时后

　　KRG是伊拉克东北部自治区的统治机构。KRG与罗爪哇有着深厚的文化联系，两国当局在打击伊斯兰国的斗争中进行了军事合作。尽管如此，这两个机构有重大的政治分歧。

　　塔希尔说新闻周刊KRG和叙利亚民主力量——目前由库尔德人民保护部队或YPG领导的控制罗爪哇的民兵联盟——早就预料到土耳其会发动军事入侵。

　　埃尔多安长期以来一直试图将库尔德武装赶出土耳其边境地区。土耳其政府认为YPG是库尔德斯坦人民党的延伸，库尔德斯坦人民党是一个指定的恐怖组织，自1980年代以来一直在土耳其发动游击战。

　　但是美国军队在叙利亚-土耳其边境地区的存在是任何攻击的障碍。直到周日，特朗普突然宣布他已经命令小部队撤出该地区。

　　KRG发表声明周二指出，它“对美国从叙利亚东北部安全区撤军的决定深感关切”。它警告称，即将到来的进攻将“破坏打击伊斯兰国的进展，包括危及对恐怖主义战斗人员的安全拘留”。"

　　塔希尔解释说，撤军并非完全出乎意料。毕竟，2018年12月，总统宣布他将从叙利亚撤出所有美国军队——当时大约有2000人。

　　尽管他最终还是走了回来，但不管库尔德人付出多少代价，他脱离接触的愿望是显而易见的。

　　此后，美国、自卫队和土耳其一直在协调缓和紧张局势，并在该地区建立“安全区”。库尔德武装最近甚至同意摧毁他们在土耳其边境的防御阵地，以显示他们对和平的承诺。

　　“他们应该一起工作，”塔希尔谈到美国人、土耳其人和库尔德人时说，并指出特朗普现在似乎已经放弃了在安全区工作的协议。

2019年10月10日，土耳其装甲车辆进入叙利亚东北部的阿克卡莱。

　　特朗普被指控背叛和放弃自卫队，自卫队在叙利亚打击伊斯兰国的运动中首当其冲。总统和五角大楼都否认撤军是土耳其行动的“绿灯”。

　　但塔希尔表示，特朗普撤军发出的信息“非常明确”，当然也为埃尔多安提供了他期待已久的绿灯。

　　早期的齐射向自卫队目标和平民区的炮弹和炸弹如雨点般落下。人口稠密的边境城镇，如拉斯·艾因和塔尔·阿比耶德，正处于土耳其军队的直接攻击之下，引发了大规模恐慌逃往南方的平民。

　　但是，在自2011年席卷叙利亚的战争造成的流离失所者的重压下，罗爪哇的人道主义基础设施已经不堪重负。该国其他地区的战斗仍在继续，许多人不想冒险听任巴沙尔·阿萨德总统报复政权的摆布。

　　如果土耳其军队深入罗爪哇，平民可能会把KRG视为他们的自然目的地。但是塔希尔警告说，伊拉克库尔德人已经在努力照顾因叙利亚和伊拉克内战而流离失所的100多万人。

　　塔希尔说新闻周刊KRG担心土耳其的行动会在罗爪哇造成人道主义危机。

　　“库尔德斯坦地区对他们来说是最近和最安全的地方，”塔希尔说。然而，他补充说，“我不认为我们能承受更多来自叙利亚的难民...这是我们库尔德斯坦地区最大的担忧之一。”

　　周三，KRG内政部长雷贝尔·艾哈迈德警告说根据政府网站上的声明，该地区没有“应对另一批难民涌入的短期能力”。

　　艾哈迈德呼吁国际社会扩大对伊拉克和叙利亚的人道主义援助，以加强KRG的应对能力。

　　土耳其的袭击正处于一场漫长而血腥的战役的早期阶段。埃尔多安表示，他希望沿边境建立一个大约20英里的缓冲区，但推进和战斗的最终程度仍有待观察。

　　塔希尔呼吁各方缓和局势，和平解决叙利亚问题。“我们一起努力，设法摆脱了伊斯兰国，至少在领土上是这样。现在是所有参与这一努力的人坐下来，在和平与对话中解决问题的时候了。”

　　“人民再也不能忍受该地区的危机，政府之间应该进行对话——特别是土耳其政府、俄罗斯，甚至叙利亚政府，”塔希尔说。

　　　塔希尔还强调，库尔德人的权利必须“在叙利亚发生的任何变化中得到维护和保护”他补充说，库尔德人也必须是该国未来“对话的一部分”。"他们不能被排除在外。"
 

DONALD TRUMP SENT TURKEY A 'VERY CLEAR' MESSAGE TO BEGIN SYRIA INVASION, IRAQI KURDISH REPRESENTATIVE SAYS

　　The London representative of the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government has dismissed President Donald Trump's efforts to wash his hands of responsibility for the Turkish military operation against Kurdish-led forces in Syria.

　　High Representative Karwan Jamal Tahir spoke with Newsweek on Wednesday, just hours after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan launched Operation Peace Spring into the Kurdish-held part of northeastern Syria, known as "Rojava."

　　The KRG is the ruling body of the autonomous region in northeastern Iraq. The KRG has deep cultural links with Rojava and the two authorities have cooperated militarily in the fight against ISIS. Nonetheless, the two bodies have significant political differences.

　　Tahir told Newsweek that the KRG and Syrian Democratic Forces—the coalition of militias currently in control of Rojava led by the Kurdish People's Protection Units, or YPG—had long expected a Turkish military incursion.

　　Erdogan has long sought to sweep Kurdish forces out of the Turkish border region. The Turkish government considers the YPG an extension of the Kurdistan People's Party, a designated terrorist group which has been waging a guerrilla war in Turkey since the 1980s.

　　But the presence of U.S. troops in the Syrian-Turkish border region served as a barrier to any assault. That is until Sunday, when Trump abruptly announced he had ordered the small force out of the area.

　　The KRG released a statement on Tuesday noting it was "deeply concerned by the United States' decision to withdraw from the safe zone in northeastern Syria." It warned that the imminent offensive would "undermine the progress made against ISIS, including jeopardising the secure detention of terrorist fighters."

　　The withdrawal was not entirely unexpected, Tahir explained. After all, in December 2018, the president announced he would withdraw all U.S. troops—then numbering around 2,000—from Syria.

　　Though he ultimately walked this back, his desire to disengage, regardless of the cost to the Kurds, was clear.

　　Since then, the U.S., SDF and Turks have been coordinating to de-escalate tensions and create a "safe zone" in the area. Kurdish forces even recently agreed to destroy their defensive positions along the Turkish border to show their commitment to peace.

　　"They are supposed to work together," Tahir said of the American, Turks and Kurds, noting that Trump now appears to have ditched the agreement to work on a safe zone.

Turkish armoured vehicles enter northeastern Syria on October 10, 2019 in Akcakale, Turkey.BURAK KARA/GETTY IMAGES/GETTY

　　Trump has been accused of betraying and abandoning the SDF, which bore the brunt of the campaign against ISIS in Syria. Both the president and the Pentagon have denied that the withdrawal represents a "green light" to the Turkish operation.

　　But Tahir said the message sent by Trump's withdrawal was "very clear" and certainly provided Erdogan his long-awaited green light.

　　The early salvos have rained shells and bombs down on SDF targets and civilian areas. Well-populated border town such as Ras al-Ayn and Tal Abyad are in the immediate path of the Turkish forces, prompting masses of panicking civilians to flee south.

　　But the humanitarian infrastructure in Rojava is already creaking under the weight of people displaced by the war that has engulfed Syria since 2011. Fighting continues in other parts of the country, and many will not want to risk throwing themselves upon the mercy of President Bashar al-Assad's vindictive regime.

　　If Turkish forces advance far into Rojava, civilians may look towards the KRG as their natural destination. But Tahir warned that the Iraqi Kurds are already struggling to look after more than 1 million people displaced by the civil wars in Syria and Iraq.

　　Tahir told Newsweek it is the KRG's "fear and worry" that the Turkish operation will create a humanitarian crisis in Rojava.

　　"The Kurdistan region is the closest and safest place for them," Tahir said. However, he added, "I don't think we can bear more refugees from Syria...This is one of the biggest worries that we have in the Kurdistan region."

　　On Wednesday, KRG Interior Minister Reber Ahmed warned that the region does not have "the short-term capacity to respond to another influx of refugees," according to statement on the government's website.

　　Ahmed called on the international community to expand humanitarian assistance in Iraq and Syria to bolster the KRG's ability to respond.

　　The Turkish assault is in the early stages of what could prove a long and bloody campaign. Erdogan has said he wants to establish a buffer zone of some 20 miles along the border, but the ultimate extent of the advance and fighting remains to be seen.

　　Tahir called on all parties to de-escalate the situation and solve the Syrian question peacefully. "We all worked together and managed to get rid of ISIS, at least territorially. Now is the time for everyone who participated in this effort to sit down and solve the issues in peace and dialogue."

　　"The people cannot bear anymore crisis in that area, and there should be a talk between the government—especially the Turkish government, Russia, even the Syrian government," Tahir argued.

　　Tahir also stressed that the rights of the Kurds must be "preserved, protected within any change that is happening in Syria." The Kurds must also be "part of the dialogue" over the country's future, he added. "They cannot be left out."