title: Muqrin bin Abdulaziz

text: Prince Muqrin was considered to be one of the candidates for accession to the throne since he has governmental experience although his maternal line was seen as a factor curtailing his chance in this regard. He is said to be much appreciated by the Saudi public because he has never been known for corruption or other negative activities and was considered to be one of King Abdullah's long-time allies. He is also believed by many to be a liberal within the family. However, letter exchanges regarding the Shia in the Eastern Province illustrated an opposition between Prince Muqrin and one of his half-brothers, Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz, regarding how a situation involving Shia instigation in the Eastern Province should be handled. In these exchanges, Prince Muqrin argued for a much stronger and harsher approach, but the crown prince vetoed this.


title: Muqrin bin Abdulaziz

text: Prince Muqrin was appointed as second deputy prime minister by King Abdullah on 1 February 2013, although he was not seen as a potential contender for the post by analysts. This post, which had been vacant since October 2011, is regarded as second in line to the Saudi throne. In practical terms, in this role Prince Muqrin was expected to handle daily running of the country whenever King Abdullah and Crown Prince Salman were out of the country or could not deal with daily administrative affairs due to health concerns. In addition to the post of second deputy prime minister, Prince Muqrin kept his other two previous posts, namely adviser to and special envoy of King Abdullah.


title: Muqrin bin Abdulaziz

text: After almost a year with the post of second deputy prime minister vacant, Prince Muqrin was formally designated by royal decree in 2013. This meant that he was informally next in line, bypassing several senior princes. In order to make his place in the line of succession permanent and preclude any challenges by any of the dispossessed royals, King Abdullah polled each member of the Allegiance Council individually before announcing Muqrin's new title. Three-quarters of the Council members supported Prince Muqrin's new post.


title: Muqrin bin Abdulaziz

text: Prince Muqrin's nomination, according to Reuters, gave more assurance to the kingdom's long-term succession process, proving prophetic with the efficient change of power upon the death of King Abdullah and the accession of King Salman on 23 January 2015.


title: Muqrin bin Abdulaziz

text: Prince Muqrin became Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia and first deputy prime minister on 23 January 2015 when King Abdullah died. After a tenure of barely three months, he was relieved of his position as crown prince on 29 April 2015.


title: Muqrin bin Abdulaziz

text: Prince Muqrin is married to Abta bint Hamoud Al Rashid. She was president of the Women's Council when Prince Muqrin was Madinah governor.


title: Muqrin bin Abdulaziz

text: He has 14 children. His daughters are Mudahawi, Sara, Mishail, Abta, Nuf, Lamiya, Jawahir, and Sara. His sons are Fahd, Abdulaziz, Faysal, Turki, Mansour and Bandar. Prince Turki founded a real-estate company in Turkey. He is a pilot and CEO of Rabigh Wings Aviation Academy in Jeddah. Prince Turki is also board member of the Saudi Aviation Club.


title: Muqrin bin Abdulaziz

text: Muqrin bin Abdulaziz is said to enjoy astronomy, literature and Arabic poetry and has a large library containing thousands of books.


title: Muqrin bin Abdulaziz

text: Prince Muqrin purchased four real estate properties about 7,700 square meters in Dlebta, Lebanon, following the approval of the cabinet in 2012 and the publishing of the listed sale in the official gazette. Dlebta's residents objected to the deal and filed a complaint with the relevant authorities.


title: Muqrin bin Abdulaziz

text: Prince Muqrin is the recipient of several decorations, including King Abdulaziz Sash and the Order of Merit from the Egyptian Military Air Force.


title: As They Made Us

text: As They Made Us is a 2022 American drama film written, directed, and produced by Mayim Bialik in her feature directorial debut. The film stars Dianna Agron, Simon Helberg, Candice Bergen, Dustin Hoffman, Julian Gant, Charlie Weber, and Justin Chu Cary. The plot follows Abigail (Agron) and the last moments she and her family spend with her dying father (Hoffman). It was released in theaters and on VOD by Quiver Distribution on April 8, 2022. It received positive reviews from critics.


title: As They Made Us

text: A series of flashbacks showcase Abigail's upbringing. In the present, Abigail is a divorced mother of two. A specialist recommends she hire a caregiver for her parents, Barbara and Eugene when the latter loses his ability to walk. Another doctor puts Eugene on hospice and says he has six months to live, devastating Barbara. Abigail visits her estranged brother, Nathan. Nathan talks to Eugene but refuses to visit Barbara. Abigail begins a relationship with Jay, a landscaper. Eugene confesses his love for Barbara before passing away a few days later. Abigail and Barbara attend his funeral but Nathan is emotionally unable to. Abigail argues with Nathan for leaving her alone during this emotional time. Six months later, Nathan invites Abigail to his daughter’s graduation party and they reconnect.


title: As They Made Us

text: In September 2019, it was reported that actress Mayim Bialik would make her feature writing and directing debut with the drama film "As Sick as They Made Us". In November 2019, it was announced that Dustin Hoffman, Candice Bergen, Simon Helberg and Olivia Thirlby would star. In a December 2020 interview, Bialik said it will be filmed after the COVID-19 pandemic.


title: As They Made Us

text: In April 2021, it was reported that Dianna Agron had replaced Thirlby due to schedule disruption caused by the pandemic. In June 2021, Justin Chu Cary and Charlie Weber joined the cast as filming commenced in New Jersey.


title: As They Made Us

text: In February 2022, the film was acquired by Quiver Distribution, which released it in theaters and on video on demand on April 8, 2022.


title: As They Made Us

text: On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 81% of 21 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.9/10. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 61 out of 100 based on 8 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".


title: Brindisi

text: Brindisi ( , ) is a city in the region of Apulia in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea.


title: Brindisi

text: Historically, the city has played an important role in trade and culture, due to its strategic position on the Italian Peninsula and its natural port on the Adriatic Sea. The city remains a major port for trade with Greece and the Middle East. Its industries include agriculture, chemical works, and the generation of electricity.


title: Brindisi

text: The city of Brindisi was the provisional government seat of the Kingdom of Italy from September 1943 to February 1944.


title: Brindisi

text: Brindisi is situated on a natural harbour, that penetrates deeply into the Adriatic coast of Apulia. Within the arms of the outer harbour islands are Pedagne, a tiny archipelago, currently not open and in use for military purposes (United Nations Group Schools used it during the intervention in Bosnia). The entire municipality is part of the Brindisi Plain, characterised by high agricultural uses of its land. It is located in the northeastern part of the Salento plains, about from the Itria Valley, and the low Murge. Not far from the city is the Natural Marine Reserve of the World Wide Fund for Nature of Torre Guaceto. The Ionian Sea is about away.


title: Brindisi

text: The territory of Brindisi is characterised by a wide flat area from which emerge sub deposits of limestone and sand of marine origin, which in turn have a deeper level clay of the Pleistocene era, and an even later Mesozoic carbonate composed of limestone and soils. The development of agriculture, has caused an increase in the use of water resources resulting in an increase of indiscriminate use.


title: Brindisi

text: Brindisi experiences a Mediterranean climate (Köppen: "Csa"). Summers are hot and dry with abundant sunshine. Summer heat indexes can be regularly over 30 °C (86 °F) and occasionally as high as 37 °C during July and August. Winters are mild with moderate rainfall. Brindisi and the mostly topographically flat Salento peninsula is subject to light winds during the majority of the year. The two main winds in Salento are the Maestral and the Scirocco. The northerly Maestral wind from the Adriatic sea is cooling, moderating summer heat and increasing winter wind chill. The southerly Scirocco wind from the Sahara, brings higher temperatures and humidity to Salento. During spring and autumn, Sirocco winds can bring thunderstorms, occasionally dropping red sand from the Sahara in the region. Snow is rare in Brindisi but occurred during the January 2017 cold spell which brought snow and ice to much of southern Italy.


title: Brindisi

text: There are several traditions concerning its founders; one of them claims that it was founded by the legendary hero Diomedes. The geographer Strabo says that it was colonized from Knossos in Crete.


title: Brindisi

text: Brindisi was originally a Messapian settlement predating the Roman expansion. The Latin name "Brundisium", through the Greek "Brentesion", is a corruption of the Messapian "Brention" meaning "deer's head" and probably referring to the shape of the natural harbour. In 267 BC (245 BC, according to other sources) it was conquered by the Romans and became a Latin colony.


title: Brindisi

text: In the promontory of the Punta lands, which is located in the outer harbor have been identified as a Bronze Age village (16th century BC) where a group of huts, protected by an embankment of stones, yielded fragments of Mycenaean pottery. Herodotus spoke of the Mycenaean origin for these populations. The necropolis of Tor Pisana (south of the old town of Brindisi) returned Corinthian jars in the first half of the 7th century BC. The Brindisi Messapia certainly entertained strong business relationships with the opposite side of the Adriatic and the Greek populations of the Aegean Sea.


title: Brindisi

text: After the Punic Wars it became a major center of Roman naval power and maritime trade. In the Social War it received Roman citizenship, and was made a free port by Sulla. It suffered, however, from a siege conducted by Caesar in 49 BC, part of Caesar's Civil War ("Bell. Civ. i.") and was again attacked in 42 and 40 BC, with the latter giving rise to the Treaty of Brundisium between Octavian, Mark Antony and Lepidus in the autumn of the same year.


title: Brindisi

text: The poet Pacuvius was born here about 220 BC, and here the famous poet Virgil died in 19 BC. Under the Romans, Brundisium – a large city in its day with some 100,000 inhabitants – was an active port, the chief point of embarkation for Greece and the East, via Dyrrachium or Corcyra. It was connected with Rome by the Via Appia and the Via Traiana. The termination of the Via Appia, at the water's edge, was formerly flanked by two fine pillars. Only one remains, the second having been misappropriated and removed to the neighbouring town of Lecce.


title: Brindisi

text: Later Brindisi was conquered by Ostrogoths, and reconquered by the Byzantine Empire in the 6th century AD. In 674 it was destroyed by the Lombards led by Romuald I of Benevento, but such a fine natural harbor meant that the city was soon rebuilt. In the 9th century, a Saracen settlement existed in the neighborhood of the city, which had been stormed in 836 by pirates.


title: Brindisi

text: In 1070, it was conquered by the Normans and became part of the Principality of Taranto and the Duchy of Apulia, and was the first rule of the Counts of Conversano. After the baronial revolt of 1132, city-owned by the will of Roger II of Sicily. The city recovered some of the splendor of the past during the period of the Crusades, when it regained the Episcopal See, saw the construction of the new cathedral and a castle with an important new arsenal, became a privileged port for the Holy Land. In 1156 a siege of Brindisi by the Byzantine Empire ended in a battle in which the believers were decisively defeated by the Sicilian Normans, ending the Byzantines' hopes of conquering Southern Italy.


title: Brindisi

text: It was in the cathedral of Brindisi that the wedding of Norman Prince Roger III of Sicily took place, son of King Tancred of Sicily. Emperor Frederick II, the heir to the crown of Jerusalem and Isabella of Brienne ( 9 November 1225 ) started from the port of Brindisi in 1227 for the Sixth Crusade Frederick II erected a castle, with huge round towers, to guard the inner harbour; it later became a convict prison. Like other Pugliese ports, Brindisi for a short while was ruled by Venice, but was soon reconquered by Spain.


title: Brindisi

text: A plague devastated Brindisi in 1348; it was plundered in 1352 and 1383; and an earthquake struck the city in 1456.


title: Brindisi

text: Between September 1943 and February 1944 the city functioned as the temporary government seat of Italy, and hosted King Victor Emmanuel III, Pietro Badoglio and a part of the Italian armed forces command in September 1943 after the armistice with Italy.


title: Brindisi

text: In the 21st century, Brindisi serves as the home base of the San Marco Regiment, a marine brigade originally known as the La Marina Regiment. It was renamed San Marco after its noted defense of Venice at the start of World War I.


title: Brindisi

text: On 19 May 2012, a bomb, made of three gas cylinders, detonated in front of a vocational school in Brindisi, killing a 16-year-old female student.


title: Brindisi

text: The name comes through the Latin Brundisium through the Greek Brentesion and Messapi Brention meaning "head of deer" related with Albanian bri, brî - pl. Brini zi ( black horn ) brirë, brinë ("horn"; "antler") [< late Proto-Albanian *brina < earlier *brena ]. The city's name appears, therefore, to refer to the shape of the port which recalls the shape of the head of the animal.


title: Brindisi

text: The emblem of the city of Brindisi relates to certain unique characteristics of the ancient city of Brindisi, some of them still visible today. The head of deer derives from the Messapic name of the city "Brention", a name inspired by the shape of the port city, which is reminiscent of the antlers of a stag. This shape is still clearly visible in satellite photos, which show the two racks, to the east and west, into which the port is divided. The emblem also contains the so-called "terminal pillar" of the Appian Way.


title: Brindisi

text: Within the territory of the town of Brindisi environmental protected areas are located, some newly established:


title: Brindisi

text: Brindisi has been the subject of extensive emigration during the 20th century, as well as all cities in the South. Emigration focused mainly on the lower strata of society who abandoned the countryside. Emigration can be traced in two great waves. The first, which was at its peak in the years immediately before and after the First World War, was almost exclusively to the Americas (and mostly to the United States, Argentina, and Brazil). The second wave of migrants from Apulia headed instead for Northern Europe after the Second World War. Attracted by the industrial development of some northern areas of the country, many Apulian migrants also settled in the Piedmont and Lombardy regions of northern Italy, and particularly in Milan. Since the 1960s, when the large petrochemical companies were joined by mechanical, naval, and aviation corporations, Brindisi was able to create employment opportunities for technicians and workers. The city experienced a small regional immigration, attracting families from neighboring provinces and regions. Another important chapter in the demography of the town was definitely the exodus of people from Albania in 1990–1991, which lasted almost a decade and led to the port of Brindisi receiving waves of Albanian immigrants.


title: Brindisi

text: The largest non-Italian ethnic community is Albanian. The number of those who decided to stay in the city, however, is negligible in light of the number of immigrants who migrated. Brindisi remains the first step towards western Europe for displaced people from the Balkans.


title: Brindisi

text: The large number of Americans is largely due to a U.S. Air Force station, between Brindisi and San Vito dei Normanni that operated throughout the second half of the 20th century. Although the base is no longer operational, many soldiers have decided to stay.


title: Brindisi

text: The British presence is the result of a recent phenomenon of families from Northern Europe, especially English and Irish, settling in the region. Many such settlers are pensioners, buying villas in the Brindisi countryside. This phenomenon is relatively recent in Apulia, known as "Salentoshire", a playful neologism along the lines of "Chiantishire" on the consolidation of British tourism in Tuscany.


title: Brindisi

text: The Brindisi dialect is a variant of Salentino and, although there are minor differences between the various municipalities, the root remains unchanged. It is spoken not only in Brindisi, but in some towns of the province of Taranto. The Brindisi also affects some dialects north of Lecce in the south


title: Brindisi

text: Brindisi, along with Ostuni, is home of the Archdiocese of Brindisi-Ostuni (Archidioecesis Brundusina-Ostunensis in Latin), home of the Catholic Church suffragan of Archdiocese of Lecce and part of the ecclesiastical region of Apulia. The diocese was erected in the 4th century, its first bishop was St. Leucio of Alexandria. In the 10th century following the destruction of the city by the Saracens, the bishops established their residence in Oria. It was in this century that established the Diocese of Ostuni, first joined the Diocese of Conversano-Monopoli and likely heir to the ancient diocese of Egnatia. On 30 September 1986, by decree of the Congregation for Bishops, the Archdiocese of Brindisi and Ostuni diocese were united in the Archdiocese of Brindisi-Ostuni plena. The new diocese was recognized civilly 20 October 1986, by decree of the Ministry of Interior.


title: Brindisi

text: Brindisi contains an Eastern Orthodox Church parish, St. Nicholas of Myra Byzantine Rite. The rite of the Greek presence in Brindisi has long been established since the rule of the Byzantine Empire with a strong spread of the Basilian monks.


title: Brindisi

text: The Jews were a small but industrious community from 53 AD until the second half of the 16th century. The new Albanian migration has led to the recurrence of some Islamic religious presence.


title: Brindisi

text: Significant in Brindisi is the cult of Tarantismo that combines pagan and Christian tradition. In the past it was believed that women who showed forms of hysteria were infected by the bite of a Lycosa tarantula. The only known remedy was to dance continuously for days, so that the poison did not cause greater effect. Through music and dance was created a real exorcism in musical character. Each time a tarantato exhibited symptoms associated with Taranto, the tambourine, fiddle, mandolin, guitar and accordion players went in the house of the tarantato and began to do to play the pinch music with frenetic rhythms. The Brindisi pinch, as opposed to Lecce, is devoid of Christian references and a therapeutic repertoire and musical detail.


title: Brindisi

text: The Provincial Library is a public library located in Commenda avenue. It has over 100,000 books and an extensive newspaper archive and participates in the National Library Service. Inside a modern auditorium, a media office and the secretariats of the university offices of Bari and Lecce operate. The Archbishop Annibale De Leo Library is a prestigious public library housed in the Seminary of Brindisi, in Piazza Duomo. Founded in 1798 by archbishop of Brindisi Annibale De Leo, with an endowment of about 6,000 volumes, today it has over 20,000 volumes, 17 incunable, over 200 16th-century manuscripts. These include some rare works, and various manuscript collections.


title: Brindisi

text: The University of Salento Brindisi has social sciences, politics and geography faculty with courses in Sociology, Social Services and Political Science.


title: Brindisi

text: The University of Bari has courses in Business Administration, Management and Consulting, Economics, Maritime and Logistics, Information Technology, Design, Nursing and Physiotherapy.


title: Brindisi

text: The "F. Ribezzo" Provincial Archaeological Museum is located in Piazza Duomo and has many large rooms, providing visitors with six sections: epigraphy, sculpture, the antiquarium, prehistoric, coins, medieval, modern and bronzes of Punta del Serrone.


title: Brindisi

text: The Giovanni Tarantini Diocesan Museum is newly established and is housed in the Palazzo del Seminario. It has a collection of paintings, statues, ornaments and vestments from the churches of the diocese. Particularly important is the silver embossed Ark that has the remains of St Theodore of Amasea and a 7th-century pitcher, in which one can recognize the wedding at Cana.


title: Brindisi

text: The Ethnic Salento Agrilandia Museum of Civilization offers tourists the chance to see many statues in wood and stone. It also features agriculture and interesting tools with the rural culture.


title: Brindisi

text: Music and theater in Brindisi have never featured significantly in the cultural life of the city. Having never hosted theatrical and musical training institutes, the city supports amateur companies. Over the past decade the city has developed and consolidated non-amateur theater companies, some dealing with theater for research and actor training. These companies have developed several socio-cultural projects for the promotion of the theater for people with disabilities. The same group of companies has produced six shows.


title: Brindisi

text: The most important musician from Brindisi is Stefano Miceli, an Italian classical pianist and conductor, globally known for his concerts at Carnegie Hall in New York City, Berlin Philharmonie, Gewandhaus in Leipzig, Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing and at the Great Hall in Melbourne. Also a Steinway Artist, he was given a silver medal by the President of Italy Napolitano and has been a visiting and distinguished professor at Boston University, Tanglewood Institute, the University of New Mexico and at many other academical music schools around the world.


title: Brindisi

text: Radio station, CiccioRiccioBrindisi, is heard throughout Apulia, Basilicata, parts of Molise, Campania and Calabria. Radio Dara that started in a workshop, founded in 1980, now broadcasts across the province.


title: Brindisi

text: As for the press, the "La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno" publishes the "Brindisi Journal". The "Nuovo Quotidiano di Puglia", Salento's newspaper, also covers Brindisi. "Senzacolonne", which was founded in 2004, is the only one with a central editorial office in Brindisi.


title: Brindisi

text: ""The Nautilus"" national scientific magazine based in Brindisi, reports on the sea, ports, transport and recreational boating. Other newspapers that have their headquarters in the city are "BrindisiSera" and ""Brindisi News"".


title: Brindisi

text: Brindisi is home to the television stations "Teleradio Agricoltura Informazione" and Puglia TV, which began broadcasts in January 1988 in Brindisi.


title: Brindisi

text: Brindisi's cuisine is simple with basic ingredients used, starting with flour or unrefined barley, which is less expensive than wheat. Vegetables, snails, and bluefish figure prominently into its cuisine.


title: Brindisi

text: Among the recipes worth mentioning in particular are "Pettole"(fried yeast dough, sweet or savory to taste stuffed maybe with cod or anchovy, with cauliflower or broccoli), "Patani tajedda rice and mussels" (rice, potatoes and mussels), soup, fish, mashed potatoes with fava beans, broad beans and mussels, and "Racana mussels".


title: Brindisi

text: Almond milk: made by infusing water with the finely chopped almonds and then squeezing the same to expel the "milk". The region of Apulia has entered the milk of almonds in its list of traditional Italian food products.


title: Brindisi

text: Brindisi cheeses are mostly from sheep, due to the significant ranching of sheep and goats. In the summer they produce ricotta, which can be eaten fresh or matured for a few months so that it has a stronger flavor.


title: Brindisi

text: Typical of the winter season are the Pecorino, ricotta and strong ricotta (or cottage cheese). It is used to flavor spaghetti sauce or spread on bruschetta.


title: Brindisi

text: Vegetables are the true protagonist of the traditional diet of Salento. Depending on season, are the tops of turnips, various types of cabbage, the beet greens from the thistle, peppers, eggplant and zucchini (all served sun-dried or in olive oil), and artichokes. There are also wild vegetables used in traditional cooking such as chicory, dandelion (or zangune), wild asparagus, the Wild mustard, the thistle, the lampascioni also called pampasciuni or pampasciuli, and capers.


title: Brindisi

text: Frequent, in the Brindisi kitchen, is the use of green or white tomatoes: mainly used for tomato sauce but they are also consumed in olive oil, after a process of natural drying. Significant is also the consumption of green and black olives, crushed or in brine. Finally, legumes such as beans, peas and Vicia faba, eaten fresh or dried in the spring and during the winter season.


title: Brindisi

text: Among the dishes prepared with fruit are quince, baked figs and dried figs (prepared with a filling of almonds), jam with orange and lemon, and fig jam.


title: Brindisi

text: Pasta and bread is made with unrefined flour, and thus takes on a dark colour. Durum wheat is mixed with traditional meal. Special local dishes include lasagna with vegetables, cavatelli, orecchiette (stacchioddi in Brindisi dialect) and ravioli stuffed with ricotta.


title: Brindisi

text: In breadmaking, local custom favours the use of durum wheat, bread flour and barley bread. For bread made with yeast (called criscituni) and cooked on an oven stone, Brindisi bakers use bundles of olive branches to give the bread a particular scent. One type of traditional bread is made with olives (called puccia). It is made with a much more refined wheat flour than for ordinary bread, to which are added black olives.


title: Brindisi

text: Also important are frisella, a sort of dehydrated hard bread which can be stored for a long time, and tarallini, also easily stored for long periods. The pucce and uliate cakes are also typical.


title: Brindisi

text: Among local desserts the central place is occupied by almond paste, obtained by grinding shelled almonds and sugar. Another specialty is cartellate, a pastry, particularly prepared around Christmas, made of a thin strip of a dough made of flour, olive oil, and white wine that is wrapped upon itself, intentionally leaving cavities and openings, to form a sort of "rose" shape; the dough is then deep-fried, dried, and soaked in either lukewarm vincotto or honey.


title: Brindisi

text: In the area of Brindisi are produced Aleatico di Puglia Doc, Ostuni Doc, Brindisi Rosso DOC, Rosato Brindisi DOC and Puglia IGT. Some grape varieties grown in Brindisi include:


title: Brindisi

text: The Brindisi DOC produces both red and "rose" wines from grapes limited to a harvest yield of 15 tonnes/ha and must produce a wine with a minimum 12% alcohol level. The wines are usually blends made predominantly from Negaroamaro and Malvasia Nera but Sangiovese is allowed to compose up to 10% of the blend with Montepulciano allowed to compose up to another 20% (or 30% if Sangiovese is not included). If it is to be a "Reserva", the wine is aged a minimum of 2 years before release and must attain a minimum alcohol level of 12.5%.


title: Brindisi

text: From an urban point of view [58] [59], the city's earliest signs of human settlement are on the promontory of Punta Terre, a coastal area outside the port. As a Roman colony ( 244 BC ), the city experienced a major urban expansion that ensued economic and social development. According to Pliny the Elder, Brindisi was one of the most important Italian cities.


title: Brindisi

text: During the Middle Ages, Brindisi suffered a sharp decline, after it was devastated by the Goths in the 6th century; Procopius describes it as a small city without defensive walls. The town shrank to a smaller area, probably around the San Leucio temple, outside the old town. The port was abandoned for several centuries. The rebirth came with the Byzantine domination (11th century ) and especially with the Normans and the Swabians (12th and 13th century), when it became a prime port for the Crusades. The city was divided into three districts or "pittachi": Santo Stefano (in the vicinity of the columns), Eufemia (in Santa Teresa) and San Toma (in the area of Saint Lucia). Under the Aragonese and the Spanish kings, the main efforts were directed mainly around the ramparts (walls, castle and sea fort to provide relief from mostly the Greeks, Albanians and Slavs.


title: Brindisi

text: Only through the reopening of the Pigott channel (1775), the city experienced a new impetus and reopened traffic with the East mainly due to the establishment of the Suez Canal at the end of the 19th century.


title: Brindisi

text: Demographic development in the 20th century led to the modern city overlying the ancient one, at the cost of the demolition of the neighbourhoods around San Pietro degli Schiavoni, Teatro Verdi, and the Clock Tower. Today urban planning demands that settlements of significant architectural impact are built outside the city centre. The city has now expanded beyond the walls of the historic centre to form the new suburbs of Commando, Capuchins, Sant'Angelo (1950–1970 ) and St. Clare, St. Elias, and Bozzano (1980–2000).


title: Brindisi

text: The development of industry led to radical changes in the Brindisi economy and consequent development along the coast. Taking advantage of the location of the port, Brindisi is also a major seaport for Greece and Turkey.


title: Brindisi

text: Brindisi agriculture includes horticulture, viticulture, fruit and olives. The area that marked the territory for centuries is based on the culture of almonds, olives, tobacco, artichokes, and grain. Livestock consists of cattle, goats and sheep.


title: Brindisi

text: The chemical industry, in its various forms (food processing, energy, and pharmaceutical) is highly developed in the territory of Brindisi. The Federchimica association recognizes Brindisi as an industrial chemical center.


title: Brindisi

text: The various establishments of Eni, located as Polimeri Europa, Snam and EniPower are placed in the petrochemical complex of Brindisi, on the outskirts of the city, overlooking the Adriatic Sea.


title: Brindisi

text: Brindisi is a leader in the production of electricity in Italy. ENEL Federico II is a power plant on 4 sections divided by polycombustible thermoelectric power of 660 MW each, came into service between 1991 and 1993. Edipower Brindisi, located in Costa Morena, in the industrial area of Brindisi. Central EniPower Brindisi is a combined cycle power plant EniPower, once completed, with an installed capacity of 1,170 megawatts, will be the most powerful among those of the Eni Company. Regasification terminal at Brindisi, the construction of a regasification terminal by the company's "Brindisi LNG SpA. will heat the area of Porto Exterior, called Capobianco. The authorization process is currently in the process of completion of the national Environmental Impact Assessment, initiated by the company in January 2008. Photovoltaic system, the largest in Europe photovoltaic park (with power of 11 MWp ), which should start operating in 2010, at the former petrochemical site. The industry group responsible for the construction will be joined by the University of Apulia.


title: Brindisi

text: The Alenia Aeronautica plants (specialized in the modification of aircraft from passenger configuration to cargo) are located in Brindisi. Avio (center for military engines) and Agusta (production of helicopter metal structures) are also located there.


title: Brindisi

text: The city preserves important archaeological finds and coastline, particularly the north coast, where there are many large sand dunes and beaches. Inland agritourism, displays wine (Wine Appia) or olive oil (Collina di Brindisi oil). Brindisi Tourism, however, remains heavily dependent on the Italian tourists (74%, compared with 26% of foreign demand) and is very seasonal.


title: Brindisi

text: Rail transport is provided through Brindisi railway station, an important Apulian railway junction and an intersecting point between the Adriatic Railway and the Taranto–Brindisi railway. The station is managed by Centostazioni, and links Brindisi with all destinations served by the Adriatic and Ionian coastal railways. Brindisi Marittima railway station closed in 2006.


title: Brindisi

text: The port of Brindisi has always been at the center of trade with Greece. It is one of the most important commercial and industrial seaports on the Adriatic Sea. The trade is mostly in coal, fuel oil, natural gas, and chemicals.


title: Brindisi

text: Brindisi is home to Papola-Casale Airport located outside the city's center. The airport of Brindisi has daily connections with major Italian and European cities. The airport serves the entire province of Brindisi and partly that of Taranto. In 2017, a total of 2,321,147 passengers passed through.


title: Brindisi

text: It has two runways, one northwest to southeast that is long, and the other northeast to southwest that is long. Their characteristics allow the landing of large transport aircraft such as the Antonov An-124 and Boeing 747.


title: Brindisi

text: This airport was originally established as a military airbase in the 1920s. As of 2008 it has officially changed its legal status into civilian airport, still maintaining the military facilities attached to it. These are identified as "Military Airport Orazio Pierozzi", named in memory of an Italian airman of the First World War.


title: Brindisi

text: The strategic position of the airport in the Mediterranean region, along with its natural potential for multi-modal (the port is a few kilometers away) operations, have made it a base of crucial importance for both national defense and NATO. For the same strategic reasons, in 1994 the airport was chosen as the main worldwide logistics base by the United Nations to support its peacekeeping and peace enforcement operations around the globe, which was since then hosted in Pisa Military Airport "San Giusto". In 2000, also the United Nations humanitarian supply depot moved from Pisa to Brindisi. It has since then been managed by the World Food Programme and officially known as the United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot (UNHRD). On behalf of governments, other UN agencies and NGOs, from UNHRD Brindisi humanitarian aid is directed to the most remote and devastated regions around the world.


title: Brindisi

text: The Public Transport Company of Brindisi provides public transport in the city, and is the link with the other municipalities in the province. Moreover, the company provides transport service by sea into inland waters of the port of Brindisi. Brindisi is also a major ferry port, with routes to Greece and elsewhere.


title: Brindisi

text: Brindisi 1912 has played in six championship series. Their football strip colours recall those of the province, white and blue. The club plays in the stadium named after the president of the historical association on the Adriatic shore, Commander Franco Fanuzzi Stadium. ASD Appia Brindisi plays in the Regional Championship of the "First Category".


title: Brindisi

text: The main basketball team in the city and in the wider region of Apulia is New Basket Brindisi, which has played for basketball championships in the top of A1 championships in League 2. Their colours are the same as that of all sports associations in the city, white and blue. The club plays their home games in the sports hall "Elio Pentassuglia".


The 2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, code-named Operation Peace Spring () by Turkey, was a cross-border military operation conducted by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and the Syrian National Army (SNA) against the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and later Syrian Arab Army (SAA) in northern Syria.


title: 2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria

text: On 6 October 2019, the Trump administration ordered American troops to withdraw from northeastern Syria, where the United States had been supporting its Kurdish allies. The military operation began on 9 October 2019 when the Turkish Air Force launched airstrikes on border towns. The conflict resulted in the displacement of over 300,000 people and has caused the death of more than 70 civilians in Syria and 20 civilians in Turkey. Human rights violations have also been reported. Amnesty International stated that it had gathered evidence of war crimes and other violations committed by Turkey and Turkish-backed Syrian forces who are said to "have displayed a shameful disregard for civilian life, carrying out serious violations and war crimes, including summary killings and unlawful attacks that have killed and injured civilians".


text: According to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the operation was intended to expel the SDF—designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey "due to its ties with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK)", but considered an ally against ISIL by the Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve—from the border region as well as to create a 30 km-deep (20 mi) "safe zone" in Northern Syria where some of the 3.6 million Syrian refugees in Turkey would resettle. As the proposed settlement zone is heavily Kurdish demographically, this intention has been criticized as an attempt at ethnic cleansing, a criticism rejected by the Turkish government who claimed they intended to "correct" the demographics that it alleges have been changed by the SDF.


text: The Turkish operation was met with mixed responses from the international community, including condemnations as well as support for the operation for the settlement of refugees in Northern Syria. Although Turkey claimed self-defense, according to international law experts it is an illegal use of force. While originally acknowledging Turkey's "right to defend itself", on 15 October, Russia hardened its position against the operation and deployed troops. Ten European nations and Canada imposed an arms embargo on Turkey, while the U.S. imposed sanctions on Turkish ministries and senior government officials in response to the offensive in Syria. Likewise, Trump's sudden pullout of US forces in Syria was also criticized by many, including former US military personnel, as a "serious betrayal to the Kurds" as well as a "catastrophic blow to US credibility as an ally and Washington's standing on the world stage", with one journalist stating that "this is one of the worst US foreign policy disasters since the Iraq War". On 19 November, the US Defense Department inspector general released a report finding that the American withdrawal and subsequent Turkish incursion allowed ISIL to "reconstitute capabilities and resources within Syria and strengthen its ability to plan attacks abroad".


text: The Syrian government initially criticized the SDF for the Turkish offensive, accusing it of separatism and not reconciling with the government, while at the same time also condemning the foreign invasion of Syrian territory. However, a few days later, the SDF reached an agreement with the Syrian government, in which it would allow the Syrian Army to enter the SDF-held towns of Manbij and Kobanî in an attempt to defend the towns from the Turkish offensive. Shortly thereafter, Syrian state broadcaster SANA announced that Syrian Army troops had started to deploy to the country's north. Turkey and the SNA launched an offensive to capture Manbij on the same day.


text: On 17 October 2019, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence announced that the U.S. and Turkey agreed on a deal in which Turkey would agree to a five-day ceasefire in Syria in return for a complete withdrawal by the SDF from its positions on the Syria-Turkey border. On 22 October 2019, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reached a deal to extend the ceasefire by 150 additional hours if the SDF would move 30 kilometers away from the border, as well as from Tal Rifaat and Manbij. The terms of the deal also included joint Russian–Turkish patrols 10 kilometers into Syria from the border, except in the city of Qamishli. The new ceasefire started at 12pm local time on 23 October. The captured area remains part of the Turkish occupation of northern Syria.


text: Turkey has complained about a supposed presence of PKK-related forces at its southern border since 2012, when the first YPG pockets appeared during the Syrian Civil War. Following the 2014 Siege of Kobanî and the expansion of YPG/SDF forces and administration, Erdoğan's government considered the force a national security threat. The 2013–2015 peace process collapsed in July 2015, resulting in a war between PKK and Turkish forces. Like other regions in southeast Turkey, regions north of the border with Syria have seen numerous PKK-related deaths. According to a Crisis Group death toll analysis based upon Turkey government and Turkish media publications, the border regions north of SDF-controlled areas had 8 Turkey security forces and 5 civilians killed in PKK-related violence in 2018 and 2019 prior to the offensive. The Şırnak region had 26 security forces and 6 civilian deaths over the same period. Crisis Group did not specify if "PKK-related" deaths are linked to Syria's YPG and SDF, or from Turkey or Iraqi PKK.


text: Recent increase in jobless rate and electoral collaboration of opposition parties lead to significant AKP defeats in the 2019 Istanbul mayoral election, signaling difficulties for the leadership party. Military operations are known to boost nationalism and Turkey executive's popularity. It is also seen as an effective way to break apart opposition alliances, between pro-Kurdish and pro-peace representatives actively criminalized by the government, and other opposition parties who are faced with the dilemma of betraying the informal political alliance in order to showcast popular patriotism. Moreover, another driver for the Turkish operation into Syria is the domestic politics involving the 3.6 million Syrian refugees residing in Turkey—the highest number of refugees hosted by any country—which has led to increasing public dissatisfaction and therefore public support and pressure for intervention. The negative sentiment against refugees among the Turkish electorate allows Erdogan and his AKP to benefit from moving refugees back to Syria. According to CrisisGroup analysis, this political strategy has cost AKP half of its conservative Kurds' supports since 2015.


text: Turkey and the United States struck a deal in August 2019 after months of Turkish threats to unilaterally invade northern Syria. The United States viewed the Syrian Democratic Forces as one of its key allies in the military intervention against ISIL in Syria, while Turkey viewed the group as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which it considers a terrorist group. The agreement established the Northern Syria Buffer Zone, which aimed to reduce tensions by addressing Turkey's security concerns with monitoring and joint patrols, while still allowing the NES to retain control over the areas that it had under its control at that time. The agreement was received favorably by the U.S. and SDF, but Turkey was generally dissatisfied with it. Turkey's dissatisfaction led to numerous Turkish efforts to expand the area covered by the buffer zone, secure Turkish control over parts of it, or relocate millions of refugees into the zone, with all of these efforts failing in the face of firm SDF resistance and American ambivalence.


text: Despite the official start of U.S.-Turkish ground patrols, the dismantling of SDF fortifications, and the withdrawal of YPG units from parts of the buffer zone, tensions continued to rise as Turkey levied yet more demands on the SDF—all of which the SDF denied, as they felt they had accepted a harsh compromise by permitting Turkish troops to take part in joint patrols with their American counterparts in northern Syria. Turkey's dissatisfaction with the status quo of the agreement grew into open hostility, with the Turkish president openly posing an ultimatum against the SDF. The ultimatum was ignored by the group and Turkey declared its "deadline" to have expired at the start of October that same year.


text: Preparations for the offensive began in July 2019 and the final preparation in October, starting with the withdrawal of American forces from positions near the Turkish border, after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had a phone call with United States President Donald Trump about plans for a military operation against SDF-held areas east of the Euphrates river. While the U.S. government stated it did not support the Turkish-led offensive, the White House also announced on 6 October 2019 that it would not interfere, and would withdraw all personnel in the area to avoid a potential U.S.-Turkish standoff; U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo denied that this amounted to giving Turkish forces a "green light" to attack the SDF while a spokesman for the SDF called the U.S. withdrawal a betrayal. The US also reportedly cut off aid to the SDF in order not to arm them against a NATO ally.


text: On 8 October 2019, the Turkish military reportedly bombed a convoy of weapons vehicles heading from Iraq into Syria destined for the SDF. However the SDF did not retaliate and no casualties were reported as a result of the air strike. On the same day Russian special forces opened a crossing on the Euphrates river between areas held by the Syrian Government and SDF in the Deir ez-Zor Governorate. While the SDF stated that the Syrian military was preparing to enter the city of Manbij in northeastern Aleppo, the Syrian government responded by saying the build up of the Syrian military near Manbij was being done in order to prevent the Turkish military from entering the city. On the same day, Turkish forces shelled Ras al-Ayn and fired machine guns in the vicinity of the city.


text: The operation began on 9 October 2019, with Turkish airstrikes and howitzers targeting the SDF-held towns of Tell Abyad, Ras al-Ayn where thousands of people were reported to have fled the town, Ayn Issa and Qamishli. The start of the incursion was symbolic, as it was the 21st anniversary of the PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan's expulsion from Syria in 1998 by the government of Hafez al-Assad.


text: In response to the cross-border shelling, SDF's spokesman stated that Turkey was targeting civilians. Six rockets were later launched at the Turkish city of Nusaybin as a response by the YPG, and two reportedly hit the Turkish town Ceylanpınar. The SDF also announced in response to the start of the Turkish operation they would be halting anti-ISIL operations, and that two civilians had been killed. In response to the airstrikes, the SDF has called upon the United States to establish a no-fly zone over northern Syria.


text: During the day, under pressure from Congressmen and public opinion, Trump sent a letter to Erdoğan proposing to make a deal, otherwise he would destroy the Turkish economy. Erdoğan took offense to the letter, reportedly throwing it in the trash. The White House released the letter to the press on 16 October, receiving wide ridicule.


text: By the end of the day, the Turkish military announced that the ground phase of the operation had begun from three points including Tell Abyad.


text: Before dawn on the morning of 10 October 2019, the Turkish military officially began the ground offensive against the SDF; they also announced they had hit 181 targets in northern Syria, and 14,000 rebels backed by Turkey, including Ahrar al-Sharqiya rebel group, Sultan Murad Division, and Hamza Division, are also taking part in the Turkish-led offensive. According to a research paper published this October by the pro-government Turkish think tank SETA, "Out of the 28 factions [in the Syrian National Army], 21 were previously supported by the United States, three of them via the Pentagon’s program to combat DAESH. Eighteen of these factions were supplied by the CIA via the MOM Operations Room in Turkey, a joint intelligence operation room of the 'Friends of Syria' to support the armed opposition. Fourteen factions of the 28 were also recipients of the U.S.-supplied TOW anti-tank guided missiles."


text: The SDF said they repelled a Turkish advance into Tell Abyad. Later during the day, clashes reportedly broke out between the SDF and Turkish-aligned forces near al-Bab. Turkish-led forces made advances around the area of Tell Abyad and captured the villages of Tabatin and Al-Mushrifah. By nightfall Turkish Armed Forces declared control of 11 villages. As fighting went on around Tell Abyad, the Syrian National Army announced it captured the villages of Mishrifah, Al-Hawi, Barzan, Haj Ali and a farm east of the city. During Turkish air strikes during the fighting, SDF stated that the Turkish air force hit a prison that was holding captured ISIL fighters. Turkish media reported in the late evening that 174 SDF fighters were killed, wounded or captured.


text: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated that day that 109 SDF fighters had been killed in the operation as well as an unspecified number of fighters wounded and captured. In a speech to lawmakers from Erdoğan's AKP, the Turkish president also threatened to flood Europe with 3.6 million refugees if European nations continued to criticize the military operation, in particular if they labelled it an invasion.


text: Two journalists were wounded in Nusaybin, when the building they were filming from came under fire from Qamishli across the border by SDF fighters. The incident was broadcast live on Turkish TV channels, according to Turkish sources.


text: Three civilians were killed in Suruc by SDF shelling. In response to the attack, Turkey shelled YPG positions in Kobani, across the border from Suruç. Eight more civilians were killed later in the day in Nusaybin and 35 were injured by SDF mortar attack, raising the total civilians killed by SDF shelling in Turkey to 18, according to Turkish sources.


text: Seven civilians were killed in Syria by Turkish forces in the Tal Abyad area including three killed by Turkish snipers according to SOHR.


text: As reported on this day, according to the Turkish Ministry of National Defence, a total of 399 SDF fighters were killed, captured or wounded since the start of the Turkish military operation.


text: The Syrian National Army stated to have taken the village of Halawa which is southeast of Tell Abyad. TAF and SNA announced the capture of Tell Halaf later in the day and released a video from inside the town.


text: In the city of Qamishli, a suspected ISIL car bomb killed five civilians, while a reported Turkish artillery strike hit a nearby prison, and five suspected ISIL members, previously detained in SDF custody, escaped according to SDF.


text: In the city of Kobanî, the area immediately around a U.S. special forces base experienced heavy shelling by Turkish artillery; the U.S. troops did not retaliate, but withdrew after the shelling ended. Turkey responded by denying that it targeted the U.S. base, instead stating that it had fired upon SDF positions. The Pentagon further raised concerns that the Turkish Army deliberately "bracketed" US Forces stationed in Kobanî with artillery fire. According to Turkish Defense Minister, the mortar attack targeting the town of Suruç earlier in the day was deliberately launched 1000 meters from the US base in Kobanî by SDF to avoid Turkish retaliation and the attack was in response.


text: The BBC reported that 100,000 people have fled their homes in northern Syria. The Kurdish Red Crescent ("Heyva Sor") said there had been 11 confirmed civilian deaths so far. Turkey's military confirmed a soldier's death, and said three others had been wounded.


text: Turkey's Ministry of National Defence announced that three more soldiers had been killed by the YPG, two of which were killed in a mortar attack on a Turkish military base in a Turkish-occupied part of Syria. This brought the total number of Turkish soldiers killed in the operation to four. The SOHR reported that the actual number of Turkish soldiers killed in the operation was six. Later in the day, the SOHR reported that at least 12 Turkish border guards were either killed or wounded in a confrontation with the SDF in Kobanî.


text: Turkish Armed Forces and Syrian National Army said they reached the M4 highway, deep into Syrian territory and effectively cutting the supply line between Manbij and Qamishli. SNA also said they captured 18 villages close to M4 highway in eastern Raqqah.


text: Turkish interior minister Süleyman Soylu announced that nearly 300 mortar shells had been fired at Mardin Province by the SDF since the start of the operation.


text: Around 12:00 (), the TAF and SNA stated they had captured Ras al-Ayn, but the SDF denied that Turkey had taken control of the city.


text: Turkish-backed members of Islamist militia Ahrar al-Sharqiya executed Hevrin Khalaf, Secretary General of the Future Syria Party. Nine civilians, including Khalaf, were executed by the Ahrar al-Sharqiya fighters at a roadblock on the M4 highway south of Tal Abyad. Turkish news source Yeni Safak reported that Khalaf was "neutralized" in a "successful operation" against a politician affiliated with a "terrorist" organization. Her execution was widely described by Western sources as a war crime under international law. A spokesman for Ahrar al-Sharqiya meanwhile announced that she was killed for being "an agent for U.S. intelligence".


text: Turkish Armed Forces and Syrian National Army announced the capture of the town of Suluk, located in Tell Abyad District, in the early morning. The SOHR confirmed that the Turkish forces and SNA had taken full control of Suluk, and clashes were nearing towards Ayn Issa. The SOHR also reported that pro-Turkish forces had targeted an ambulance in the Tell Abyad area which remains missing.


text: The SOHR also reported that the SDF was able to regain almost all control over the contested city of Ras al-Ayn after a counterattack.


text: Turkish Armed Forces and Syrian National Army announced in the afternoon they had captured the center of Tell Abyad. Turkish Armed Forces and Syrian National Army fully captured Tall Abyad late in the afternoon according to the SOHR. Turkish Armed Forces and Syrian National Army also cut the M4 highway according to SOHR. Turkish sources also reported that SDF shelling towards Jarablus had killed 2 Syrian civilians.


text: In light of the pro-Turkish forces advance on Ayn Issa, the SDF stated that 785 ISIL-linked people had escaped from a detention camp in the area, SDF also stated the escapees received assistance of the pro-Turkish forces and Turkish airstrikes. In contrast, Turkey stated that the SDF released ISIL prisoners at the Tell Abyad prison before the arrival of Turkish forces. This statement was supported by U.S. President Donald Trump, but opposed by senior U.S. officials who stated that Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) forces were the ones freeing ISIL prisoners.


text: United States Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said that US was planning to evacuate all 1,000 remaining soldiers from northern Syria. US also informed SDF of its intention to withdraw from military bases in Manbij and Kobanî and had already evacuated from Ayn Issa according to SOHR and "The Washington Post".


text: Shortly after the capture of Tall Abyad by Turkey and SNA, a deal between the Syrian government and SDF was reached whereby the Syrian Army would be allowed to enter the towns of Kobanî and Manbij in order to deter a possible Turkish military offensive in those areas.


text: Later an advisor to leader of AKP Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Yasin Aktay, said there could be conflict between the two armies, if the Syrian government tries to enter northeastern Syria.


text: SDF commander-in-chief Mazloum Abdi said he was willing to ally with the Syrian government for the sake of saving the Kurdish population in Northern Syria from what he called a genocide.


text: Russian and Syrian forces were reported to have been deployed at the front line between areas controlled by the Manbij Military Council and Euphrates Shield groups respectively, with further deployments to take place along the Syrian-Turkish border. In addition, the SOHR reported that the U.S. forces in the region were attempting to hinder the Russian and Syrian deployments in the region.


text: The SOHR reported that violent clashes had continued in Ras Al-Ayn and its countryside at the border strip, where the Turkish forces were attempting to encircle the city completely and to cut off the road between Ras Al-Ayn and Tal Tamr, under a cover of artillery shelling and airstrikes with the purpose of taking control of the city by 15 October. Turkish aerial and ground bombardment were reported to have occurred in the border town Al-Darbasiyyah targeting civilian houses which caused 4 reported injuries of medical personnel as per the SOHR.


text: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told a press conference that Turkey had received a positive response from Russia on Kobani and that Turkey was at the execution phase of its Manbij decision. Turkish Armed forces deployed additional troops to Manbij frontline as of the previous night according to Turkish sources. Turkish Minister of National Defence Hulusi Akar said that Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ayn were under Turkish control and that works were ongoing for the whole region.


text: The Syrian Army reportedly deployed to the town of Al-Thawrah, as well as Ayn Issa, Tell Tamer and as close as 6 km from the Syria–Turkey border. It also took over the 93rd Brigade Headquarters just south of Ayn Issa, as well as Al-Jarniyah to the east of the Euphrates. The Syrian Army further reported taking control of the Tabqa Dam. The Syrian flag was reportedly raised for the first time in years in several towns and villages in the Al-Hasakah Governorate, such as the city of Al-Yaarubiyah.


text: Jarabulus Military Council was reportedly to have targeted a vehicle south of Jarabulus by a guided missile leaving 2 persons dead in conjunction with an assassination that targeted members of Turkey-loyal factions south of Azaz.


text: Turkish Armed Forces and Syrian National Army launched a military operation to capture Manbij in the late afternoon. Turkish Armed Forces and Syrian National Army captured 3 villages in the Manbij countryside shortly after the launch of the operation according to Turkish sources. At the same time, Syrian state media stated that the Syrian Army had started entering the town.


text: Later in the day, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that all U.S. personnel would withdraw from Syria except those in Al-Tanf base.


text: The SOHR reported that a counterattack was carried out by the SDF in the outskirts and western countryside of Ras al-Ayn city, and managed to achieve an advancement in the area recovering 3 areas lost previously.


text: 2 civilians were killed and 12 were wounded in Kızıltepe, Turkey after an SDF mortar attack according to Turkish sources.


text: Turkish President Erdoğan, speaking at the Turkic Council in Baku, said: "We are now announcing the establishment of a safe area 444 km from west to east and 32 km from north to south, to which the refugees in our country will return." President Erdoğan also said a total of had been captured by TAF and SNA since the start of the operation. President Erdoğan also said a Turkish soldier was killed in Manbij by Syrian Army artillery fire and that there was an intense retaliatory fire for the attack which made the regime pay a heavy price.


text: Syrian Army forces started entering the town of Manbij according to SOHR, but were blocked by US troops when trying to enter Kobani according to SOHR, which resulted in the convoy's return to Manbij. Syrian Army forces also entered Al-Thawrah according to Syrian government media. Later, Erdoğan told that Syrian Government troops entering Manbij is "not negative" and adding "as long as terrorists in the area are cleaned".


text: Villages around the M4 in Jazira province were reportedly shelled by the TAF at dawn while shelling and clashes had caused power outages and a water shortage in the city of Al-Hasakah, the latter of which returned after 5 days since it had been cut off, as per a SOHR report. The SOHR also reported that clashes continued to the west of Ayn Issa as the SDF attempted to launch a counterattack where they were able to successfully regain 2 locations. Clashes had also broken out within the SDF-controlled camp in Ayn Issa between families of ISIL members and displaced civilians which resulted in 2 deaths, as per the SOHR report.


text: Heavy shelling and airstrikes by the TAF were reported in Ras al-Ayn with heavy fighting on the ground according to SOHR. The SOHR further reported that Turkish forces and allied factions had launched a wide scale offensive and managed to advance into parts of the Ras al-Ayn city. Turkish President Erdoğan announced that Turkey controlled over 1200 square kilometers area since start of the operation.


text: The Russian military deployed near Kobani on 16 October in the afternoon after crossing Qara Cossack bridge from Manbij to the east of Euphrates according to SOHR. The SOHR also reported that the Syrian Army had completed its deployment in Ayn Issa, north of Raqqa. The Syrian Army also reportedly entered the city of Kobanî at nightfall. This was precipitated by the sudden advance of the Syrian National Army towards the Kurdish-held border city.


text: US forces withdrew and destroyed its former air base, south of Kobanî. The airbase was the largest U.S. base in Syria, capable of landing C-130 as well as C-17 heavy transport planes.


text: TAF and SNA forces completely besieged and captured half of Ras al-Ayn after getting around the town and cutting off the roads leading to it amid heavy clashes according to SOHR.


text: Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu stated that over 980 mortar shells and rockets were launched at Turkey by SDF since the start of the operation killing 20 civilians.


text: On 17 October 2019, US Vice President Mike Pence and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reached a deal to implement a 120-hour cease-fire for Turkey's operation in northern Syria to allow SDF to withdraw from a designated safe zone, spanning from the Turkey-Syria border to 20 miles (32 km) south. Mike Pence stated that once the military operation completely stops all sanctions imposed on Turkey by the United States would be lifted and there would be no further sanctions. According to a US statement, the safe zone would be "primarily enforced by the Turkish Armed Forces". This ceasefire deal was described as another US betrayal of the Kurds and a Kurdish surrender to Turkey by several US commentators and officials.


text: Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu stated that it is not a ceasefire but a temporary pause to allow SDF to withdraw from the designated safe zone, after which if completed the operation would end and if not completed the operation would continue. The SDF commander Mazloum Abdi said that they accepted the ceasefire agreement only in the area between Tall Abyad and Ras al-Ayn.


text: The Syrian Kurdish politician Salih Muslim stated that "Our people did not want this war. We welcome the ceasefire, but we will defend ourselves in the event of any attack … Ceasefire is one thing and surrender is another thing, and we are ready to defend ourselves. We will not accept the occupation of northern Syria."


text: Cautious calm prevailed at the east of Euphrates on 18 October according to SOHR with minor clashes in besieged Ras al-Ayn. The SDF said Turkey was violating the ceasefire and of shelling civilian areas of Ras al-Ayn. An unnamed US official said the following day that Turkish backed forces had violated the ceasefire, and the SDF had stopped fighting.


text: Turkey announced it aimed to establish 12 "observation posts" in its safe zone, with President Erdoğan stating that Turkey will respond if the Syrian government "makes a mistake".


text: SDF had not withdrawn from any positions east of Euphrates despite the passage of 37 hours of the US-Turkish agreement to suspend the Turkish military operation for 120 hours according to SOHR. SOHR also reported that since the start of the operation, Turkish Armed Forces and allies had captured an area of . Both sides said the other side was violating the ceasefire, SDF stated that Turkish forces prevented medical aid from reaching Ras al-Ain, the statement was backed by SOHR. Unnamed US officials said the "ceasefire is not holding". In the afternoon the SDF said an aid convoy had been let through, after having been prevented from entering the town since Thursday.


text: A Turkish soldier was killed by a mortar attack near Tal Abyad due to violations of YPG according to Turkish Defense Ministry, whilst the SDF stated that 16 fighters had been killed by Turkish forces. SDF fully withdrew from Ras al-Ayn alongside the aid convoy per SOHR. Both sides have stated that the other side made ceasefire violations.


text: US forces withdrew from their airbase near Sarrin as well as their airbase near Tell Beydar and destroyed it per SOHR. US forces have completely withdrew from the countrysides of Aleppo and Raqqa per SDC. In the largest ground move to date, a United States convoy of almost 500 personnel is moving eastward through northern Syria towards the border of Iraq. As they withdrew, locals threw rotten produce and shouted insults at them, demonstrating a sense of betrayal among the populace.


text: U.S. President Donald Trump favored leaving a contingent of 200–300 US troops in Deir ez-Zur countryside of eastern Syria where majority of the country's oil fields are located per NYT and WSJ. The SDF, however, stated that "The fields have stayed in our hands. We have an agreement with the [Syrian] regime to give them some of our positions along the Turkish border, but we have not negotiated with them on the oil fields yet. There will probably be a version of joint control and revenue sharing with the regime from these fields. I don’t know if Trump understands this."


text: The SOHR reported continued ceasefire violations despite the withdrawal of the SDF from Ras al-Ayn. Per SOHR, Turkish drone strikes had targeted a vehicle carrying 4 members of the SDF near Ain Issa, resulting in the death of all fighters. The Abu Rasin area, east of Ras al-Ayn also experienced heavy clashes and shelling by Turkey as per SOHR.


text: On the aftermath of the SDF withdrawal from the Ras al-Ayn, there were widespread accounts of looting, theft, burning of houses and kidnappings by the pro-Turkish forces with documented examples of members of the Hamza Division per to the SOHR.


text: The SOHR reported a US withdrawal from northern Syria with a military convoy passing through Simalka border into Iraq at midnight.


text: Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has stated that Russia would need to deploy additional troops and equipment to Syria to patrol the border. As the deadline of the US-brokered 120-hour ceasefire agreement was nearing, Shoigu further stated that the US had less than two hours to comply with the agreement (i.e., removing the sanctions against Turkey) and suggested that the US forces had until the end of the 120-hour period to withdraw from Syria.


text: According to Syrian state news channel Al-Ekhbaria, Syrian President Assad has told Russian President Putin that his government rejects the occupation of Syria's lands under any pretext in a phone call today. In a reference to the SDF during his visit to the war zone near Al-Habeet in Idlib, the Syrian President Assad stated that "We said we are ready to support any group that takes up popular resistance against Erdogan and Turkey. This is not a political decision, we have not made a political decision, this is a constitutional duty and this is a national duty. If we don't do this, we don't deserve the homeland."


text: U.S. senator Mitch McConnell introduced a resolution in opposition to President Trump's withdrawal from Syria.


text: Jim Jeffrey, US special envoy for Syria and the global coalition against ISIL, said that he was not consulted or advised in advance about the withdrawal of the US from Syria.


text: On 22 October 2019, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met in Sochi and reached an agreement about the situation in Syria. They subsequently released a 10-point memorandum detailing the provisions of the agreement.


text: In the agreement, the established status quo of the Operation Peace Spring area, covering Tell Abyad and Ras Al Ayn with a depth of 32 kilometers from the border, will be maintained. Starting from 12.00 noon on 23 October, Russian military police and Syrian border guards will enter the Syrian border territory outside the Operation Peace Spring area to facilitate the removal of the YPG in the area with a depth of 30 kilometers from the border, which should be finalized within 150 hours. Hereafter, joint Russian–Turkish patrols will start to the west and east of the Operation Peace Spring area to a depth of 10 kilometers from the border, excluding Qamishli city. The YPG will be removed from both Manbij and Tal Rifat.


text: Russian President Putin informed Syrian President Assad about the provisions of the deal in a phone call. The Russian government announced that Assad voiced his support for the agreement and was ready to deploy the Syrian border guards in line with the agreement.


text: President Trump announced that there was a 'permanent' ceasefire in the region and sanctions on Turkey would therefore be lifted, but he also added that the word 'permanent' is questionable for that part of the world. US lawmakers publicly criticized Trump's decision to lift the sanctions.


text: Dmitry Peskov, the Russian presidential press secretary, urged the Kurdish forces to withdraw from Syria's border namely because the Syrian border guards and Russian military police would have to step back otherwise, adding that the remaining Kurdish units would be 'steamrolled' by the Turkish military, and stated that the United States had both betrayed and abandoned them despite being their closest ally in recent years.


text: As "Newsweek" first reported, it's stated that the United States is considering and preparing to deploy tanks and troops to defend the oil in eastern Syria. Even though the stated purpose is preventing ISIL from regaining the oil fields, it is likely as much an effort to block Syria and Russia.


text: Syria's state news agency SANA reported that Turkish troops and allied fighters attacked Syrian army positions outside Tal Tamr, resulting in several Syrian casualties as they fought back, and clashed with Kurdish-led fighters. The SOHR also confirmed clashes between the SDF and the Syrian National Army near Tal Tamr. The Kurdish-led SDF said that three of its troops were killed during the fighting with the Syrian National Army.


text: Russia carried out several airstrikes in the Syrian rebel-held territory, targeting the Idlib, Hama, and Latakia provinces among comments by analysts that Idlib, the remaining Turkey-supported rebel stronghold, was the Syrian government's next target.


text: During the NATO meeting, Germany's Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer had presented a proposal for an internationally monitored security zone in northeast Syria to be mandated by the United Nations. The following day, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov rejected the idea of a NATO-controlled security zone in Syria. On 26 October, the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also rejected the German plan for an international security zone and said that the proposal was not realistic.


text: US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said the United States would send their troops, including 'mechanized' forces, to defend the oil in eastern Syria to keep it from ISIL. It is unclear whether the Kurds would welcome the Americans again in the aftermath of the US withdrawal, as Syrian Kurdish leader Ilham Ahmed commented earlier on 24 October that "If the U.S. presence in the area is not going to benefit us when it comes to stability, security, and [stopping] the genocide and ethnic cleansing, they won’t be welcomed."


text: The Russian Defense Ministry has announced that around 300 Russian military police have arrived in Syria. The military police, from the Russian region of Chechnya, will patrol the border region and help with the withdrawal of the Kurdish forces from the border region.


text: The Turkish President Erdogan said that "If this area is not cleared from terrorists at the end of the 150 hours, then we will handle the situation by ourselves and will do all the cleansing work." The Turkish president also criticized the European Union of lying to provide the 6 billion euros to help house and feed around 3.6 million Syrian refugees residing in Turkey, while stating that the EU only provided half of the promised amount and adding that Turkey has spent around 40 billion euros. He warned that Turkey will open its border for the refugees to go to Europe if European countries failed to provide more financial support for the return of the refugees to Syria.


text: A U.S. military convoy drove south of Qamishli heading towards the oil fields in Deir el-Zour. The SOHR also reported the convoy when it earlier arrived from Iraq. Major General Igor Konashenkov, the Russian Defense Ministry spokesman, characterized the US actions to send armored vehicles and combat troops to protect the oil in eastern Syria as 'banditry'. The Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke with the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about Syria, with the Russian side emphasizing the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria according to the Russian public statement.


text: A large convoy of Syrian government troops was deployed to eight villages at the Ras al-Ayn area along the M4 highway and close to the Syrian–Turkish border.


text: Casualties were reported after clashes in Tal Tamr and Ras al-Ayn, nine dead among the pro-Turkish forces and six dead among the SDF.


text: The SDF released a statement saying: "The SDF is redeploying to new positions away from the Turkish–Syrian border across northeast Syria in accordance with the terms of the agreement in order to stop the bloodshed and to protect the inhabitants of the region from Turkish attacks."


text: The SOHR reported reoccurring clashes between joint Syrian–SDF forces and Turkish-led forces in the area between Tal Tamr and Ras al-Ayn. During the clashes along the border, Turkish forces reportedly killed 6 Syrian soldiers near Ras al-Ayn. Meantime, Turkish Ministry of National Defense announced that they have captured 18 persons who stated to be Syrian government forces.


text: Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that the Kurdish-led armed forces had withdrawn from the safe zone along the Syria–Turkey border.


text: In a press statement addressed to the SDF, the Syrian Defense Ministry announced that they will accept any unit who is willing to join the Syrian military in a joint effort to battle invading Turkish troops and the Turkish-supported Syrian rebels, and offers reconciliation to those not needed for security. The Syrian Interior Ministry offered civil services across the northeast, as they described the difficult living conditions due to the Turkish-led incursion. They also offered to integrate the Asayesh security forces of the SDF into the government's internal security agency. The Syrian Education Ministry offered to support the children, as they described that children are deprived of schooling due to the unrest.


text: In response, the SDF said that they appreciate the efforts to unify Syria's defense and repel the Turkish aggression but also stated: "Our position was clear from the beginning, wherein uniting the ranks should begin from a political settlement that recognizes and preserves the exclusivity of the SDF and its structure, and creates a sound mechanism for restructuring the Syrian military establishment as an overarching framework for unifying efforts."


text: On 31 October, the Turkish President Erdogan announces that the joint Turkish-Russian patrols in northeast Syria will begin on Friday.


text: There have been intermittent clashes between Syrian government troops and Turkish-backed forces around Ras al-Ain and Tal Tamr. Turkey returned 18 Syrian government soldiers who were captured by Turkish-backed Syrian fighters south of Ras al-Ayn amidst growing tensions between Syria and Turkey. The Turkish Defense Ministry announced the handover on 1 November.


text: The SNA shelled the village of Tal-al ward resulting in the deaths of 2 civilians and injuring an additional 5. Small skirmishes occurred in the western side of Tal Al-ward between forces of the SAA, SDF and SNA. The SAA withdrew from the villages of Temir, Zirgan and Dirbesiye following bombardment from the SNA. The SDF bombarded the villages of Azizia and Jamiliyyeh, which caused the 2 military vehicles of the SNA to be destroyed. 3 people where killed and 4 injured from the shelling.


text: According to pro-SDF media US reinforcements arrived at Sarin Base including 17 armored vehicles and 82 trucks. Nevertheless, the base was captured by Russian forces on 17 November.


text: November 2019 Syria bombings: On 2 November, a car bomb attack killed at least 13 civilians in Tell Abyad, 2 weeks after its capture from SDF. Turkey and SNA accuse the SDF as responsible for the attack. The SDF responded in a press statement stating: "We believe this is the work of the Turkish state and their intelligence and mercenaries to frighten and terrorize the local people".


text: The SNA attempted to enter the vicinity of Tell Tamer. Firefights between the SDF and SNA occurred in the villages of Anek al-Hawa, Tal Muhammad, Khirbet Jammu and Mahmudiya. The SDF claims it has made advances into the villages of Mahmudiya and Khirbet Jammu.


text: The SNA launched an offensive north of Ayn Issa, shelling SDF positions. The SDF and SNA clashed in villages of Mahmudiyyeh, Soda, Arisha, Abu Rasin, al-Qantra area as well as other areas on the outskirts of Ayn Issa north of al-Raqqah city as well as the exchange of shelling between the SDF and SNA. Clashes also occurred in the village of Aneeq Al-Hawa of Abu Rasin town as well as Manajir town south of Ras Al-Ayn.


text: Protests occurred in Northern Syria against joint Turkish/Russian patrol protesters threw rocks and shoes at armored vehicles. Turkish patrols responded with tear gas. One protester was run over during the protest and died shortly after.


text: A car bomb south of Tell Abyad killed 8 civilians and wounded over 13. Turkey said YPG was responsible for the attack.


text: A car bomb in Al-Bab, targeting its bus terminal, killed 19 people, including 13 civilians. Additional 30 persons were wounded. Turkish Ministry of National Defense said that YPG and PKK was responsible for the attack. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.


text: Turkish Ministry of National Defense said that the Turkish Army defused over 988 IEDs and 442 mines, which were placed by the YPG, since the start of the operation.


text: The SDF made advances into the northern countryside of Tal Tamr town in the area leading to Abu Rasin, capturing positions and points north of Tal Tamr, the TAF responded with drone strikes on SDF positions.


text: Russian forces entered the abandoned US base near Sarrin and seized control of it. Video footage of the abandoned US base was shared by Russian forces who entered the base showing abandoned US equipment.


text: According to a source pro-opposition media reported that an SNA commander, Abu Hafs Al-Gharbi was killed in clashes with the SDF.


text: Clashes occurred between SNA and SDF on 20 November around the SDF controlled Ayn Issa, clashes resulted in the death of 8 SNA Fighters and 4 SDF fighters in the first day of clashes. According to pro-SDF media SNA attacked villages around Ayn Issa with rockets, UAVs and heavy weapons, as well as the positions in Tell Tamer.


text: As a result of fighting in Ayn Issa, guards of Ayn Issa refugee camp – home to ISIS families, left their posts to fight the SNA and several ISIS families managed to escape as a result.


text: Later in the same day SDF launched an offensive to retake Shrekrak silos from the SNA, SDF shelled SNA positions and the SNA shelled the surrounding villages controlled by SDF. The SNA continued to advance towards Ayn Issa, which resulted in 13 SNA fighters dying and 6 fighters dying among the SDF.


text: SDF managed to regain full control of Ayn Issa and its surroundings after heavy clashes and a counter attack. Russian Planes flew over Ayn Issa after the failed offensive.


text: The SDF captured villages near Ayn Issa, after failed SNA offensive near Ayn Issa. 21 SNA fighters were killed in the fighting. SDF casualties are unknown.


text: Syrian Kurdish authorities and doctors have reported about a number of patients with severe burns seemingly caused by a chemical weapon, accusing Turkey of employing the chemical white phosphorus to target people. Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, a former commander of the UK's chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear regiment, said of wounds he had been shown pictures of, "the most likely culprit is white phosphorus". Syrian Kurdish authorities also criticized Turkey for using napalm.


text: The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has stated that they are aware of the situation and are collecting information over the reported use of chemical weapons but cautioned that they have not yet determined the credibility of the allegations. The SOHR stated they could not confirm the use of napalm or white phosphorus.


text: The OPCW has refused to launch an investigation into the alleged use of white phosphorus by Turkish forces, arguing that the issue falls outside their remit as white phosphorus injuries are produced by thermal rather than chemical properties. They also remarked that "White phosphorus is commonly used in military operations to produce smoke or provide illumination. When white phosphorus is used as smoke, illumination or as an incendiary weapon, its use does not fall under the purview of the Chemical Weapons Convention".


text: Amnesty International stated that it had gathered evidence of war crimes and other violations committed by Turkish and Turkey-backed Syrian forces who are said to "have displayed a shameful disregard for civilian life, carrying out serious violations and war crimes, including summary killings and unlawful attacks that have killed and injured civilians".


text: Numerous video footage and photographs have emerged where Syrian rebel forces are seen committing executions and other war crimes. Jim Jeffrey, the US envoy for Syria and the global coalition against ISIL, has stated in a hearing before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee that they have seen several incidents which they consider war crimes committed by the Turkish-supported Syrian opposition forces, and characterized these groups as very dangerous and even extremist in some cases. In a US House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, he stated that they have reached out to the Turkish government to discuss the war crimes committed by the Turkish-supported opposition.


text: Hevrin Khalaf, a Syrian Kurdish political leader, and other people, was summarily executed by the armed faction Ahrar al-Sharqiya. UN human rights spokesman Rupert Colville stated that "Turkey could be deemed responsible as a State for violations committed by their affiliated armed groups, as long as Turkey exercises effective control over these groups, or the operations in the course of which those violations occurred. [...] we urge the Turkish authorities to immediately launch an impartial, transparent and independent investigation into both incidents, and to apprehend those responsible, some of whom should be easily identifiable from the video footage they themselves shared on social media." According to Committee on Violations under the Ministry of Defence of Syrian Interim Government, the perpetrators were detained and sent to the military judiciary. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has responded that Turkey will investigate any allegation of human rights violations in the region and will not tolerate any human rights violation.


text: Members of the pro-Turkish Levant Front also evicted Christians from their homes in Tell Abyad, though left the local Kurds mostly alone.


text: According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), Turkish backed forces have looted countless homes in Ras al-Ayn and Tal Abyad have engaged in theft of property, physical, and verbal abuse, kidnappings of civilians for ransom and abuse against the citizens who did not flee. According to the report some civilians, unable to flee, paid smugglers $300 in order to be delivered to the nearest point of the Autonomous Administration areas (Rojava) at which point they were handed over to Turkish intelligence as members of the SDF after their money was taken from them.


text: A report by SOHR states that Turkish backed factions began demolishing houses in Kormazat villages of local Kurds who fled from fighting as well as members of the SDF from Tal Abyad, as well as taking barley in Abu Julud village in Mabrukah area in the western countryside of Ras Al-Ayn.


text: SOHR states that the number of displaced people exceeds 300,000 amid the humanitarian crisis and conflict. People have fled towards the autonomous Kurdish region within the border of Iraq.


text: Ibrahim Kalin, a Turkish presidential spokesman, has stated that they do not want Syrian government or Kurdish forces in the Syrian border areas but intend Turkey to oversee the region. He further said that Turkey intends to resettle up to 2 million Syrian refugees, currently in Turkey, who will not go back if these areas are under the control of either of these forces.


text: In response to European criticism, Turkish President Erdoğan warned that Turkey will "open the gates" for 3.6 million refugees who are currently in Turkey to go to Europe if its military operation is called an invasion. This comes under the context that Europe has employed foreign countries such as Turkey to serve as border guards, in a policy of border externalization.


text: Amnesty International remarked that Turkey "has borne a disproportionate responsibility" hosting 3.6 million refugees from Syria while European countries "have largely devoted their energies to keeping people seeking asylum from their territories" including not resettling the refugees residing in Turkey, the tensions between Turkish citizens and Syrian refugees are rising, and the decline in Turkish public support for refugees has led to an expression in policies where the Turkish government aims to resettle its Syrian refugee population in a demilitarized safe zone with the 2019 military operation as the latest development.


text: Amnesty International has reported that Turkey is illegally and forcibly deporting its Syrian refugees back to Syria while portraying the returns as voluntary. Hami Aksoy, a Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman, stated that Turkey rejects Amnesty International's statements about the forceful repatriation and underscores that Turkey is conducting the safe and voluntary return of Syrians.


text: Jens Laerke, spokesman for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that 94,000 civilians have returned to their homes, while 100,000 are still displaced.


text: There are concerns about a possible resurgence of the Islamic State (ISIL) in the region, as the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)—who conducted counter-terrorism operations against ISIL and held the ISIL captives in the region—fight against the Turkish-led offensive and thus could lose control over the detainees. There are at least 10,000 ISIL prisoners and more than 100,000 ISIL family members and other displaced persons in several camps across northeastern Syria. A number of the ISIL detainees are foreign fighters, but their status have become increasingly uncertain due to the Turkish offensive as their own countries refuse to take them. As the threat of ISIL emerged as consequence, European countries have been criticized for failing to act by taking back their nationals, while the situation deteriorates. When asked about the situation after the US withdrawal from Syria, US President Donald Trump dismissed the threat of ISIL, remarking that "they're going to be escaping to Europe".


text: Îlham Ehmed, a Syrian Kurdish official, stated that the SDF felt betrayed by their American allies for "exposing us to an invasion by Turkish troops who aim to destroy us", remarking that they do not have the resources to both defend against the Turkish attacks and maintain security over the ISIL captives. Nevertheless, as stated by Jim Jeffrey, the US special envoy for Syria and the global coalition against ISIL, on 23 October, almost all of the prisons that the SDF were guarding are still secured and the SDF still have people there. The SDF commander Mazloum Abdi said, on 21 October, that there aren't any prisons in the Turkish-occupied areas and that all prisoners from those areas have been moved to prisons under their control.


text: As a consequence of the US withdrawal and the Turkish offensive, the SDF will be more restricted in time and resources to help the United States in the fight against ISIL, as it is also focused on the threat from the Turkish forces and the preservation of its autonomy against Syria and Russia.


text: According to Turkish sources, the SDF freed ISIL prisoners from a prison in Tal Abyad before Turkish forces could arrive. Other US officials, however, refuted the accusations, which they called baseless and false. They stated that the SDF are still defending their bases and are relocating ISIL detainees to facilities further south. They also reported that the Syrian National Army is purposefully releasing ISIL prisoners, previously held by the SDF before their territory was captured.


text: At least 750 ISIL affiliates were reported by the SDF to have escaped from a displacement camp in Ayn Issa after Turkish bombing on 13 October 2019. On 23 October, Jim Jeffrey stated that over 100 prisoners of ISIL have escaped and that they do not know where the escapees are.


text: On 18 October, Turkish Ministry of National Defense claimed that YPG had freed over 800 ISIL prisoners in Tal Abyad.


text: On 19 November, the Defense Department inspector general released a report finding that the American withdrawal and subsequent Turkish incursion allowed ISIL to "reconstitute capabilities and resources within Syria and strengthen its ability to plan attacks abroad".


text: The Turkish offensive initially enjoyed support from party leaders across the political spectrum, with the support of three major opposition parties, but not the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP). Opposition newsrooms and opposition parties were largely supportive of the operation. However, as time progressed, the Turkish opposition began criticizing the governmental strategy. Opposition Republican People's Party leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu blamed the government's "adventurous foreign policy", stating that "If I do not respect the territorial integrity of another government, I will make enemies. Today we have made all the world as our enemies." Meanwhile, opposition İyi Party leader Meral Akşener urged the government to dialogue with Assad in order to make peace while criticizing President Erdoğan for his silence on U.S. sanctions.


text: According to a research by Metropoll, the amount of support to the operation was at 79 percent, while Operation Olive Branch had 71 percent support according to the poll before.


text: Turkish police detained more than 120 online critics of the Turkish operation for spreading "terrorist propaganda". Turkish prosecutors opened investigations against MPs Sezai Temelli and Pervin Buldan, co-leaders of the pro-Kurdish HDP party. Turkey detained at least 151 members of the HDP, including district officials, and at least 4 HDP mayors for reported links to the PKK, which Turkey considers to be a terrorist group. Turkish authorities have also detained web editor of opposition "BirGün" newspaper (who was later released) and managing editor of the online news portal "Diken".


text: The government launched a domestic campaign to eradicate dissenting opinions from media, social media, streets actions or any civil parties opposing the military operation.


text: On 10 October, Turkey's broadcasting regulatory body RTÜK warned media that "any broadcasting that may negatively impact the morale and motivation of the soldiers or may mislead citizens through incomplete, falsified or partial information that serves the aims of terror".


text: Social media dissidents, journalists, protesters have been criticized of "terrorism" and harassed via criminal investigation, arbitrary detention and travel bans. Dissidents face lengthy prison sentences if found guilty.


text: On 12 October President of Northern Cyprus, Mustafa Akıncı made "anti-war" remarks in response to the operation, in which, although defending the right of Turkey to defend itself, said that in all wars there will be much bloodshed. Erdoğan as well as VP Fuat Oktay condemned Akıncı's statement. While Prime Minister of Northern Cyprus, Ersin Tatar's National Unity Party attempted to get a resolution through the legislature that condemned Akıncı, and called for his resignation for his statement. Akıncı also received a slew of death threats, and filed a complaint on 17 October to the police. Erdoğan said that Akıncı's legitimacy is thanks to Turkey, and should therefore support Turkey. Akıncı rebuked Erdogan, stating "There is only one authority decides how to get to this office, it's the Turkish Cypriot people".


text: On 10 October, a large majority of Dutch MPs backed the introduction of sanctions against Turkey. France, Germany, Sweden, Finland, and Norway implemented export restrictions on arms exports to Turkey and France as well as Sweden expressed their intention to back an EU-wide weapons embargo on the nation, with discussions in the European Union on possible union-wide sanctions on Turkey beginning on the 13th. Italy, formerly Turkey's largest arms supplier, later joined the arms embargo against Turkey.


text: On 14 October, all EU countries agreed to stop selling arms to Turkey, but stopped short of an official union-wide arms embargo. The EU also issued a press release condemning "...Turkeyʼs unilateral military action in North East Syria which causes unacceptable human suffering, undermines the fight against Daʼesh and threatens heavily European security."


text: Trump said he was working with congressional leaders, including the Democratic opposition, to impose "powerful" economic sanctions against Turkey for its cross-border attacks in north-eastern Syria. Senator Lindsey Graham warned that he would "introduce bipartisan sanctions against Turkey if they invade Syria". He said he would also "call for their suspension from NATO if they attack Kurdish forces who assisted the United States in the destruction of the ISIS Caliphate". Bipartisan legislation has been introduced in the Senate to sanction Turkey, as well as in the House of Representatives.


text: On 14 October, the U.S. government declared sanctions against the Turkish ministries of defense, interior and energy. The U.S. statement delivered by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Vice President Mike Pence denounced the Turkish government for "endangering innocent civilians, and destabilizing the region, including undermining the campaign to defeat ISIS", said that the U.S. had not given a "green light" to a full-on Turkish invasion, and warned that sanctions would continue and worsen "until Turkey embraces an immediate ceasefire". On the same day, U.S. President Donald Trump demanded a ceasefire from Turkey in a conversation with Turkish President Erdoğan, froze negotiations on a $100bn US-Turkey trade deal, and imposed sanctions on Turkish government officials.


text: On 16 October, the United States House of Representatives, in a rare bipartisan vote of 354 to 60, "condemned" President Trump's withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria, for, in the view of both parties, "abandoning U.S. allies, undermining the struggle against ISIS, and spurring a humanitarian catastrophe".


text: On 17 October, after reaching a ceasefire agreement with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, US Vice President Mike Pence announced that all sanctions imposed on Turkey by the United States would be lifted and there would be no further sanctions once a permanent ceasefire was reached in the operation.


text: On 29 October 2019, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 405–11 to recognize the Armenian genocide, as a result of Turkey's invasion of Syria. However, the motion was blocked in the Senate by South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, following a request from the White House. On 12 December 2019, the Senate unanimously passed a resolution recognizing the Armenian genocide, after it had been previously blocked by three different Republican Senators (Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, David Perdue of Georgia and Kevin Cramer of North Dakota) at the request of the White House.


text: In Turkey, authorities such as the Chief Prosecutor's Office of Istanbul have been criticized of censoring critical reports of the Turkish offensive into Syria through detaining or harassing journalists in an attempt to "intimidate the media into silence". Furthermore, Turkish President Erdoğan has written op-eds about the Turkish offensive, which has been characterized as propagandist in nature.