Turkey appoints mayors in recently invaded northern Syrian towns

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region -- Sari Kani and Gire Spi, Syrian towns recently occupied by Turkey, have been assigned new mayors by the Turkish government. 

Abdullah Erin, the governor of Turkey’s Sanliurfa province, which borders Syria, said that Turkey has appointed mayors for both Gire Spi and Sari Kani “in order to create a coordination” in the areas.   

Turkish forces and their Syrian proxies launched the ironically titled Operation Peace Spring against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on October 9 and took control of both Sari Kani (Ras al-Ain) and Gire Spi (Tal Abyad) after weeks of fierce fighting.  

Governor Erin visited both towns on Thursday, meeting with Turkish military and intelligence officials as well as the commanders of pro-Turkey Syrian militia groups. 

 “We evaluated the services provided and planned in Tel Abyad in coordination with the local council and other authorities after the Operation Peace Spring,” read a tweet from the governor.

The governor also said that Turkey has started providing various municipal services including water, energy, health centers, education and infrastructure, according to a statement from his office.

Ibrahim Madenli, the head of Governor Erin’s media office, told Rudaw that the newly appointed mayors have already begun working. He did not provide a specific start date, but a source in the area told Rudaw that the mayors have been in office for a week.

The Turkish government took similar steps in other areas of Syria it has occupied over the past few years, appointing officials and controlling infrastructure and access to services after capturing al-Bab, Jarabulus, and Azaz in 2016 and Afrin in 2018. 

The Turkish governor said on Tuesday that, “Turkey has opened its arms to Syrian refugees and has met all kinds of their needs. We will continue to stand with our Syrian brothers."

However, Turkey has been accused of marginalizing Kurds in formerly Kurdish-majority towns like Afrin, Sari Kani and Gire Spi. Sources in Syria say that Kurds are prevented from assuming leadership positions, the Kurdish language is being excluded from the education curriculum and Kurdish language signs have been removed from local government institutions. 

Kurds no longer represent a majority in areas that have been invaded by Turkey; the majority of the Kurdish population, fearing oppression in the wake of Turkish incursions into Syria, has fled to Kurdish-controlled areas such as Tel Rafaat and Hasaka. Those who have remained have faced looting and oppression.