With the capture of the Afrin canton in northwestern Syria, Turkey has opened a new chapter in the civil war, which for over a year had been replaced by a partial ceasefire between Syria, Russia and Iran, where only Islamic State and related groups were attacked.
Even under current Syrian conditions, after seven years of civil war, the northwestern Afrin canton is a poor area - and therefore its inhabitants are particularly vulnerable in this situation.
"As I read the conflict, it is reliable and well-documented that more than 200 civilians, mainly Kurds but also local Arabs, have died. Many more are injured". This is according to Heine Strømdahl, expert in Kurdish issues and volunteer at the Danish European Mission. He continues: "The Kurds are not keen to flee, but see this as an invasion of their territory. The President of Turkey has said: "We will return the area to its rightful inhabitants" and this grim statement points towards a purge. It seems unlikely that the Kurds will be able to return to the northernmost villages of Afrin and the future of Afrin seems uncertain."
But the Kurds could offer effective resistance to Turkey?
"I didn't think it would happen so quickly. The Kurds fought fiercely night and day, even though many soldiers died daily in their ranks - and so the Turkish invasion progressed slowly. It says something about the Kurds' will to fight that for about two months they were able to hold off a large army like the Turkish, with F-16s, helicopter gunships and tanks. There have been several frightening reports, which appear to be very reliable, of gross humiliation and torture against Kurdish prisoners of war, committed either by Turkish soldiers or their jihadist allies".
Terrifying reports of torture committed against Kurdish POWs by Turkish soldiers and their jihadist allies - Heine Strømdahl
Emergency aid in Syria since 2014
Since Islamic State brutally invaded parts of Iraq and Syria in 2014, Danish European Mission donors have faithfully supported local Christian aid workers, who themselves may experience persecution at times, but who reach out to the victims of war. Many Christians and other minorities sought and found refuge with the Kurds in northern Syria.
Right now, local Christian relief teams are helping the vulnerable in Afrin, supported by Danish European Mission donors. They say that the situation is generally difficult in Afrin, that people are suffering and don't know what the future holds.
However, the local relief teams are experiencing a great blessing at this time. Many people from non-Christian backgrounds are looking to the church for relief, and the church can - in word and deed - bring hope and encouragement to their fellow human beings in deepest need.
