Counter-Terrorism

At a small grocery store in Derik, Syria, one dusty case of Sariyer soda water sits underneath a shelf. “The self-administration [of North and East Syria] gave us time to finish selling the Turkish products we had in stock, like this one,” said the store’s owner.

The sprawling al Hol camp in Hasakah, Syria is a grim sight in the dead of winter. Aylu*, a YPJ member (women’s protection units, a group of female fighters in Northeastern Syria), is one of the camp’s administrators. “The situation hasn’t changed much since you were here last,” she said.

When Turkey began bombing his village in Sere-Kaniye in October, Jamil Khabat, his wife, and their young songs fled their home. “This is the third time I’ve had to leave my home because of Turkish attacks,” he said. “The last time, Turkey opened the border crossing and let [the militants] in.” Khabat and his family are one of 50-60 staying at a school in Hasakah.

Since Turkey launched Operation “Peace Spring,” in October, assaulting several cities in Northeastern Syria with airstrikes and a ground offensive led by the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA), hundreds of civilians have been killed, and hundreds of thousands have been displaced.

The PKK sent their driver to get my cameraman and I from our Erbil hotel late in the afternoon. It was dark by the time we reached the Qandil Mountains.

The Investigative Journal organized a conference in Washington DC on November 11th to launch the report and discuss its findings during the ongoing Turkish invasion of Syria. Dr. Ahmet S. Yayla, former chief of Turkish National Police Counterterrorism Division presents his research based on exclusive evidence, first-hand information and in-depth analysis.

The center of Kobani, Syria is bustling, but the mood is grim. Shoppers and shop owners chat in hushed tones, trading the latest news and rumors they’ve heard about the increasingly tense and complex situation in the region.

Jwnaid Murad walked down the dairy aisle of Las Market, the 1000-square-meter grocery store he owns in New Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan. “150 years ago, Ottomans beheaded my great grandfather a little bit south of Erbil,” he said.

For the past few years the world witnessed individuals and their families from different countries traveling to join the group known as ISIS or Daesh. One estimate is 27,000- 31,000.

Last week, Turkish President Erdogan announced the start of Operation Peace Spring, a joint operation in predominantly Kurdish northeast Syria between Turkish armed forced and Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) factions.