Syrian Kurds shift alliance to Damascus, Assads troops on their way to the north

 Qamishli (Photo Wikipedia)

Syria's Kurds said Syrian government forces agreed Sunday to help them fend off Turkey's invasion — a major shift in alliances that came after President Donald Trump ordered all U.S. troops withdrawn from the northern border area amid the rapidly deepening chaos.

The Syrian government troops will deploy along the border with Turkey to help Kurdish fighters fend off Ankara's military offensive in northern Syria, the Kurdish-led administration in the region said. 

The move, announced on Sunday, represents a major shift in alliance for Syria's Kurds and came hours after the United States said it was withdrawing its troops from the area to avoid getting caught in the middle of the fast-escalating conflict.

The Kurdish-led administration in a statement on Facebook said it had brokered the agreement with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government to counter Turkey's ongoing push, which has drawn widespread condemnation. 

"In order to prevent and confront this aggression, an agreement has been reached with the Syrian government ... so that the Syrian army can deploy along the Syrian-Turkish border to assist the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)," the statement said. 

 Syria’s state news agency said Monday morning government forces have entered the northern town of Tal Tamr that is close to Turkey’s border. SANA said the Syrian army moved into the area to “confront the Turkish aggression,” without giving further details.

The report says residents of Tal Tamr that is about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the Turkish border welcomed the troops.

Adding to the turmoil Sunday, hundreds of Islamic State families and supporters escaped from a holding camp in Syria - the camp in Ain Issa, some 35km south of the border, that is home to some 12,000 people  - amid the fighting between Turkish forces and the Kurds. Some 859 people successfully escaped from the section of the facility housing foreign nationals.

The fast-deteriorating situation was set in motion last week, when Trump ordered U.S. troops in northern Syria to step aside, clearing the way for an attack by Turkey, which regards the Kurds as terrorists.

Over the past five days, Turkish troops and their allies have pushed their way into northern towns and villages, clashing with the Kurdish fighters over a stretch of 200 kilometers (125 miles). The offensive has displaced at least 130,000 people.  The number of desadly victims remaisn largely unknown.