On October 9, Turkey launched an offensive into northeastern Syria dubbed Operation Spring Peace in which Turkey provided air and artillery support to thousands of Syrian rebels in an assault on an area governed by Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

At the onset of the operation, Turkish president Erdogan stated “The main aim of the operation is to take out “PKK/YPG terror organizations from the area and to facilitate the return of Syrian refugees,". Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) are the main component of the Syrian Democratic Forces, but the Turkish government claims that the YPG is an extension of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has been in conflict with the Turkish State since 1984.

Ankara launched its assault two days after a green light was given by Donald Trump in which he announced that the U.S. would withdraw its forces from the area. Scores were killed in this Turkish offensive, and more than 300,000 people were displaced before a US-brokered ceasefire went into effect, and a Russian-Turkish agreement was subsequently reached.

This week, we bring you an in-depth conversation about the worsening situation in North Eastern Syria, the future of The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (also known as Rojava), and the role of regional and international players

Guest:

Dr Cengiz Gunes, faculty of Arts & Social Sciences at the Open University, and the author of three books including his forthcoming The Political Representation of Kurds in Turkey: New Actors and Modes of Participation in a Changing Society