Syria's Revolution Brings New Risks For Kurdish Population In North East

KOBANI, SYRIA - DECEMBER 19: In this image released on December 21, YPJ commander Dalilia and fighter Amargi march towards a watch tower to spot Turkish backed forces in a sophisticated tunnel network underground on December 19, 2024 in Kobani, Syria. The tunnels are used to fight Turkish backed forces, some of which are located beneath border towns. The rapid collapse of the Assad regime brings both possibility and peril for Syria's Kurdish population and its Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES). Turkey, which considers the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) an extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party and a terror group, has backed proxy forces in Syria that are eager to capitalize on the current upheaval to weaken the SDF and seize Kurdish-controlled land. Meanwhile, the US government has long supported the SDF, considering them instrumental in the fight against the Islamic State, which still operates in small pockets of the country. (Photo by Elke Scholiers/Getty Images)