A round up of Syrian related Turkish news:BBCSaleh Muslim
Saleh arrested on a warrant issued by Turkey-
Saleh Muslim, a former co-chair of the main Syrian-Kurdish movement, the Democratic Union Party (PYD), was arrested early on Sunday.The Turkish justice ministry said it has begun efforts to have Mr Muslim extradited.
He has been indicted over a February 2016 bombing in Ankara that targeted a convoy of buses at the military headquarters during the evening rush hour, killing 37 people.
Talked about the bombing in this post- which saw my embedded videos censored despite help from Scott at Willy Loman's in trying to track them down as they were disappeared from the net. Also ....
"Upon finding the person in question was in the Czech Republic... it was demanded that he be captured and arrested to be extradited," the ministry said in a statement.
Mr Muslim is to appear in Czech court on Tuesday- Let’s see if he is extradited or if some other party gets involved... Such as any of the many PKK affiliates in the EU? Generally leftists parties. Of which there are many. Or the US may block the extradition? Whichever?Czech Radio
The Czech Republic has found itself in a diplomatic tug-of-war between Turkey and the main Syrian Kurdish political party PYD following the arrest of former PYD leader Saleh Muslim in Prague. Muslim was detained at the weekend on an Interpol warrant at Turkey’s behest. Turkey has requested his extradition, while the PYD has appealed for his release.The whole situation is further complicated by the fact that two Czechs - Markéta Všelichová and Miroslav Farkas are currently imprisoned in Turkey where they were sentenced to six years in jail for allegedly supporting the Kurdish militia YPG. This has inevitably raised speculation that the Czech side may want to discuss a possible exchange. Meanwhile, the case has attracted considerable international attention. German politician Tomas Pfluger, former MEP and member of The Left party has condemned the arrest and called for Germany to request Muslim’s extradition as well.
Of course the leftist parties are involved. The self proclaimed leftists parties have this real thing for the PKK. Germany may request extradition? Doing the dirty work for the US? Or at the behest of so many influential PKK loyalists in Germany? If Germany extradites Saleh, he’ll go free.
Prepping for urban warfare
Turkey to send gendarmerie and special police forces to Afrin
Dogan news agency reported that gendarmerie and police special forces had entered Afrin from two points in the northwest, and said they would take part in urban fighting and holding villages that Turkish forces had seized.Most of the larger towns in the region, including the town of Afrin itself, remain under YPG control.
Turkey to Send Gendarmerie to Afrin
Turkey’s Gendarmerie Special Forces and Police Special Forces will take part in operations in residential areas as part of the ongoing Operation Olive Branch, Habertürk daily reported on Thursday.The forces who volunteered for the operation were trained at the commando school in Foça, a district in the Izmir province. The units are due to take part in Operation Olive Branch.
Turkey flatly refused U.S. requests that Kurdish groups be represented at talks in Geneva aimed at bringing an end to the civil war in Syria, Sabah newspaper reported.According to information given to a cabinet meeting chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s absolute refusal was conveyed to U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, in talks last week.“The United States is arming a terrorist organization. They are engaged in actions to break up the Republic of Turkey. This is clear… We will not sit at the table with a terrorist organisation,” was the message given to the United States, according to Sabah.Turkey also dismissed as “childish” a U.S. offer to get forces of the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) to destroy the mainly Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), saying that there is no difference between the YPG and the PKK. The PKK has been engaged in three decades of war against Turkey seeking autonomy for Kurds in the southeast of the country. More than 40,000 people have died in the conflict.The messages conveyed to the U.S. officials also included Turkey’s demand that the United States removes the YPG from the northern Syrian town of Manbij and for it to restore the demographic composition of the region to that of before the start of the civil war.
Manbij was, to my understanding, largely Arab.Kurdish Brigade to Fight for Turkey in Syria
The brigade was formed by the Hamza Division, which is affiliated to the Free Syrian Army (FSA). The brigade includes 400 Kurdish fighters from Syria’s Azaz region, and 200 Arabs.
“God willing, we will liberate our people in Afrin from PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party) oppression,” said Kurdish Commander Hassan Abdullah Kulli, Turkish state-run agency Anadolu reported.In a similar move, about 180 state-funded Kurdish village guards recently joined Turkey’s operation.
Kurdish village guards are used by the Turkish state in operations against Kurdish militants in the country’s southeast.“Although the Kurdish Hawks Brigade is a special unit that would have a better understanding of the local culture, language and geography, it’s hard to estimate how many of them are really from this region and know its topography,” Salih Bicakci, a Middle East expert from Kadir Has University in Istanbul, told Arab News.“But their military training will probably help the FSA gain the upper hand in the looming urban warfare.”
From earlier today: