Clashes broke out in Nusaybin when more than 1,000 pro‑Kurdish demonstrators marched toward the Turkey–Syria border to protest a Syrian offensive that has pushed the SDF from parts of Aleppo into northeastern Syria. Turkish police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse the crowd after some protesters hurled stones and attempted to cross the border. The incident intensifies regional tensions, threatens stalled SDF‑Damascus talks, and casts uncertainty over Turkey's fragile peace process with the PKK.
Clashes Erupt on Turkey–Syria Border as Pro‑Kurdish Protesters Confront Police in Nusaybin
Turkish riot police broke up a protest over Syria in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir, using tear gas and rubber bullets, an AFP correspondent said (Ilyas AKENGIN)(Ilyas AKENGIN/AFP/AFP)
Clashes erupted on Tuesday along the Turkey–Syria border in the town of Nusaybin, when more than 1,000 pro‑Kurdish demonstrators confronted Turkish police in protest at a recent Syrian military offensive against Kurdish‑held areas.
What Happened
The march, organized by the pro‑Kurdish Democracy and Unity Movement (DEM), moved toward the frontier opposite the Syrian city of Qamishli. Police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse the crowd after some protesters hurled stones and several attempted to cross into Syria. Video from the scene showed people trying to scale border fences while small groups gathered on the Syrian side.
Context
The protest followed a Syrian military operation launched nearly two weeks earlier that drove the Kurdish‑led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) out of parts of Aleppo and pushed into northeastern Syria. The advance has provoked strong reactions from Kurdish communities across the region, including the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) inside Turkey.
Official Responses
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya warned authorities would not tolerate "provocations." President Recep Tayyip Erdogan praised what he called a "careful" Syrian operation to retake Kurdish‑held territories — comments that angered many in Turkey's Kurdish population, who make up about one‑fifth of the country's 86 million people.
"Mr President (Erdogan), you are congratulating HTS, which is killing our Kurdish brothers. There is a war going on!" DEM co‑chair Tulay Hatimogullari said at the protest, referring to Islamist groups active in parts of Syria.
Diplomacy And Wider Risks
Talks between the SDF and the Syrian government were reported to have collapsed, leaving northeastern Syria in a precarious state. In Ankara, foreign minister Hakan Fidan met with US Syria envoy Tom Barrack; Fidan later voiced support for a weekend ceasefire agreement announced by Syrian authorities.
The unrest has also cast doubt on Turkey's fragile peace process with the PKK, which had earlier signalled a shift toward pursuing Kurdish rights by political means. Senior PKK leader Murat Karayilan told pro‑Kurdish media the group would "never abandon" Syria's Kurds and vowed to do "whatever is necessary." DEM accused Ankara of hypocrisy for supporting the Syrian operation while condemning Kurdish activity at home.
Local Developments
Authorities in Turkey broke up additional pro‑Kurdish demonstrations earlier in the week, including rallies in Diyarbakir and outside a DEM office in Istanbul, where several arrests were reported. Observers warn the protests and cross‑border tensions risk destabilizing fragile ceasefires and undermining efforts to resolve the long‑running Kurdish conflict in and around Turkey.
Reporting credits in the source material: AFP.
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