Archived: Syrian Rebel Offensive Against Islamic State Sparks Refugee Exodus

Published: 04/15/16

By Dion Nissenbaum
ISTANBUL–Backed by U.S. airstrikes and Turkish artillery, Syrian rebels are struggling to seize the last stretch of the Turkey-Syria border held by Islamic State, in fighting that has forced more than 30,000 people to flee in the last 48 hours, according to American officials, aid groups, and United Nations workers in the region.

Islamic State militants have responded with a fierce counteroffensive that has repelled the U.S.-backed fighters from key towns and triggered an exodus of families from camps temporarily seized by the extremist group.

The “entire Syrian-Turkish border region is on fire now,” said one aid worker working in the area.

The intensifying border battles are a major test for Turkish-backed fighters in Syria who are leading a new campaign to gain control of 60 miles of the border used by Islamic State militants to resupply and send fighters to stage deadly attacks in Europe.

U.S. warplanes and Turkish artillery units have been coordinating attacks with the Syrian forces over the past week. But the rebels have struggled to mount an effective fight against Islamic State militants trying to prevent their Syrian capital of Raqqa from being encircled by opposition forces aiming to cut off routes in and out of the city, according to American and Turkish officials.

“Sealing that corridor is now a major priority for the U.S.-led coalition,” said one senior American military official. “This is a key part of isolating Raqqa.”

The fighting in northern Syria has pushed the country’s two-month-old partial cease-fire to the brink of collapse as rival factions gathered in Geneva for a new round of U.N.-brokered peace talks.

The U.S. had been trying for months to develop a battle plan with Turkey to close off the critical Islamic State supply routes. Turkey repeatedly rejected American plans to rely on U.S.-backed Kurdish forces in Syria that Ankara views as terrorists.

Two weeks ago, President Barack Obama and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met informally in Washington and agreed on an alternative plan to work with Turkish-backed Syrian fighters, including some who were trained by the U.S. military to call in airstrikes, according to American officials.

To aid in the fight, the U.S. military sent a new squadron of Marine Corps tactical aircraft to Turkey’s Incirlik Air Base, which is the central hub for coalition airstrikes against Islamic State. The EA-6B Prowlers will be used to monitor and jam Islamic State communication on the battlefield.

With the aid of Turkish artillery fire and U.S. airstrikes, the Syrian fighters seized the Syrian border town of al-Rai last Friday, but were forced to retreat within days when Islamic State launched a counteroffensive.

As the fighting in Syria expanded, Islamic State fighters fired numerous rockets into Turkey that injured several people earlier this week. The intensifying conflict is putting more pressure on Turkey to open its gates to fleeing Syrians.

Islamic State, also known as ISIS, is threatening a string of camps on the Turkey-Syria border where 60,000 Syrians have sought refuge from the fighting. Human Rights Watch said Friday that 30,000 alone had fled over the last two days.

“We are extremely concerned about the situation in northern Syria,” one official with the U.N.’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on Friday. “Humanitarian needs are expected to rise exponentially.”

Islamic State took control of several camps and burned some tents before they were pushed out by Syrian forces backed by the U.S. and its allies, aid workers said Friday.

“At dawn [on Thursday] we heard gunshots near the camp,” a Syrian in one of the camps was quoted as saying by Human Rights Watch. “A short while later, ISIS arrived and used a loudspeaker to tell us we all had to leave.”

About 2,000 people fled for the border where Turkish border guards fired at the group and forced the Syrians to turn back, the person said.

Turkish officials rejected the allegations and said that border guards only fire on smugglers and suspected militants trying to sneak out of Syria. “Border guards do not fire on civilians,” said one Turkish official.

U.N. officials and aid groups urged Turkey to open its border to the Syrians.

“As civilians flee ISIS fighters, Turkey is responding with live ammunition instead of compassion,” said Gerry Simpson, senior refugee researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The whole world is talking about fighting ISIS, and yet those most at risk of becoming victims of its horrific abuses are trapped on the wrong side of a concrete wall.”

Officially, Turkey has an “open door” policy that welcomes all Syrians fleeing the fighting. In practice, Turkey is only allowing small numbers of Syrians into the country, which is already home to 2.7 million Syrian refugees.

In February, more than 30,000 Syrians converged on the Turkish border as Russian airstrikes helped forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad gain the upper hand in the fight for Aleppo, once the country’s largest city.

Turkey refused to open its borders. Instead, Turkey helped set up temporary camps on the Syrian side of the border and urged world leaders to create a safe zone to protect them.

The Obama administration has repeatedly rejected Turkey’s call for a safe zone, which U.S. officials say would be difficult and dangerous to protect.