Why the Fight in Northern Syria Is Pivotal

Across a narrow strip of border territory near the Euphrates River, a ferocious battle with huge implications for Syria’s civil war is playing out, one that also risks erupting into a regional conflict.
Why the Fight in Northern Syria Is Pivotal
A member of the Syrian government forces talks on the phone as he patrols after they took control of the village of Kiffin, on the northern outskirts of the embattled city of Aleppo, on the road leading to Gaziantep, from opposition forces on Feb. 11, 2016. (George Ourfalian/AFP/Getty Images)
The Associated Press
2/16/2016
Updated:
3/12/2016

BEIRUT—Across a narrow strip of border territory near the Euphrates River, a ferocious battle with huge implications for Syria’s civil war is playing out, one that also risks erupting into a regional conflict.

The fight for control of Aleppo pulls in all the major players in Syria’s civil war over a prized strip of rebel-held land near the Turkish border.

A look at this stretch of territory sometimes referred to as the Azaz corridor:

The Geography

The area is a nearly 100-kilometer (60-mile) border zone stretching from Azaz in the west to the town of Jarablus near the Euphrates River, down to the northern suburbs of Aleppo city. The zone is wedged between Kurdish-controlled areas to the east and west. It includes Azaz and Marea, two strongholds of Turkey-backed rebels fighting to topple President Bashar Assad; and Jarablus, al-Bab and Manbij, held by the Islamic State (ISIS). Syrian government troops, backed by Hezbollah and Iranian forces, are pushing toward the north from around Tel Rifaat. Warplanes from the U.S.-led coalition pound ISIS-held areas in the zone, while Russia, a key Assad backer, bombs the rebels.

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The Kurds and ISIS

Kurdish fighters, who have been the most successful in the war against ISIS and are allied with both the U.S. and Russia, control most of the 910-kilometer (565-mile) boundary with Turkey, interrupted only by a patch of rebel- and ISIS-held land. They are taking advantage of the chaos to advance and try to link the two enclaves they control to the east and west. They have advanced eastward from Afrin and from the west to the edge of Azaz, triggering alarm in Ankara, which responded with artillery on Kurdish positions. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Monday vowed the “harshest reaction” should the Kurdish People’s Protection Units, or YPG, advance on Azaz, a town near the border held by anti-Assad rebels. The Kurds are also preparing to move in on ISIS-held areas, starting with Jarablus just east of the Euphrates.

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Humanitarian Disaster

The fighting in Aleppo has sent tens of thousands of people fleeing toward the Turkish border, where they sleep in tents and open fields. It also has disrupted aid deliveries, putting more civilians at risk of being completely cut off. Aid groups estimate that more than 100,000 people have left Aleppo in the past two weeks because of fears the city would become besieged. Fears of more refugees flowing into Europe may change perspectives. German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday backed the idea of a no-fly zone in Syria to protect civilians who might otherwise flee the country.

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