Geological Considerations for Military Works in the Afrin Battlespace, Syria

Abstract

AbstractTo defend against the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) in the newly formed Afrin Region, Kurdish parties and militias constructed trenches, observation towers (OTs), cut-and-cover hardened tunnels (CCHTs) and underground facilities (UGFs) along the border between Turkey and Syria and throughout Afrin. The Kurdish militia was a light infantry force with limited artillery, improvised armoured vehicles, no combat engineers and no air power. The use of subterranea was a direct response to the increasing need for concealment and protection to improve survivability against munitions used by the Syrian Government Forces, TAF, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, and their affiliates. Defences were constructed in mountains of limestone, sandstones and marls and in valleys in alluvial terraces and conglomerates, lithologies very favourable for digging and tunnelling. The scale of Syrian Kurdish works represents significant defensive construction projects, which required financing (US$400,000 for a 300-m long CCHT), experienced and skilled works teams with project managers, site foreman, plant operators and construction crews. Materials used were rebar, forms and concrete, all needed in large volumes. At the start of Operation Olive Branch in January 2018, Turkish airstrikes and artillery targeted OTs, CCHTs and UGFs. Their use of combined arms overmatched Kurdish defensive positions in the Afrin Region.KeywordsTrenchesTunnelsExcavationLimestoneAfrinSyria