Empire of the Ring

Chapter 633: A Kurdish Transfer Operation (3)

The Aleppo base was planned as a battalion-level base, more than enough to accommodate the people of the Kurdish mountain village.

The livestock was handed over to the Syrian government forces stationed in Aleppo.

It was to buy some time until all Kurds left for Kazakhstan.

The purpose of the Kazakh military presence was to help the Kurds move, not to be peacekeepers. The U.S. wanted a long-term presence, but Youngho had no intention of doing so.

There was no reason to jump in between Russia and the U.S. and there was no reason to become hostile toward Syria, which was being amicable to Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan's foreign policy had priority in Kazakhstan's national interest just like how the U.S. had a priority in its interest.

In order to have a better say in the Middle East, Kazakhstan should refrain from physical conflicts with Middle Eastern countries as much as possible.

The people of the mountain village who had spent several days at the base were immediately taken to the port of Latakia.

The port of Latakia had no room to step on as not just the people of the mountain village but also the Kurds who flocked from all over Syria.

The use of poison gas in rebel-held areas by government forces had unnerved the Kurds, so now almost all Kurds in Syria had decided to move to Kazakhstan.

"Put tags on all bags and bundles and leave them on the dock."

"It's all my property. What if I lose it?"

"Don't worry about it. We'll return it to you when we get to Kazakhstan."

"Then let me carry the small bags."

"It's safer to leave it to us. We can't take responsibility if you lose it in the cabins."

There were constant scuffles between migrants and car ferry staff.

The migrants were nervous to leave their properties. They struggled to carry their belongings to the port, and they did not want to lose them.

It would be better if they could communicate freely, but they were at odds everywhere due to poor communication between the French-speaking Kurds and Turkish and Greek car ferry staff.

A handful of the administrative staff of the Kazakh royal territory had been guiding people using microphones, but the situation was not controlled as there were just too many people.

To get out of Syria, there was no other way but to cross the Turkish border or go out into the sea, and the Turkish border area, which had been a safe route, had also become so dangerous that the migration line would have to risk people's lives due to fierce fighting between government troops and rebels. Thus, the Turkish government had told the Kazakh royal family that it could not guarantee the safety of Kurds crossing the border.

The reason why the Turkish government was so kind was that if the Syrian Kurds went wrong, it would affect its relations to Syria, so it hoped to end the migration without a problem. This was also because there were Kurdish people in Turkey.

The Kazakh royal family was struggling with the screening process for Kurds trying to escape Syria as not just Kurds but Syrians in conflict-ridden areas were trying to escape. Birth certificates or passports were not issued properly in Syria, where the civil war had paralyzed its administrative network.

The methods of distinguishing Kurds were several, such as whether they could speak the Kurdish language and the dark blondes and blue eyes that were characteristic of Kurds only.

Even this had a problem, though, with the majority of Kurds having been lived in Syria for long, they married Syrians, and their unique characteristics had faded, and many of them did not even know their own language.

So far, there was no such problem as the Kurds who had moved before were the Kurds in northern Syria, and the Kurds who lived inland moved on a village-by-village basis.

"I'm sorry. We can't issue you a certificate of migration."

"What do you mean? My family must be Kurdish. Before the civil war, he definitely lived in the North."

"I can't help you because you don't have any Kurdish characteristics."

"What am I supposed to do when my family members had been married to Syrians for generations?"

"If your claim turns out to be false, you will be deported from Kazakhstan."

"It's so unfair. I want you to do a medical test and prove that I'm a Kurdish descent."

"OK. I'll issue you a certificate of migration first."

While most Syrians were quickly exposed with a few words of conversation, some had argued strongly that they were Kurdish as in the case of marriage with Kurds, they could be recognized as Kurds.

***

"There is a very slim chance that the person who just stepped out is Kurdish."

"Then why did you issue the migration certificate?"

"He must be desperate to leave Syria to be insisting like that. If his family can't get on the ship today, they'll go be stowaways. I couldn't put him to death, so I issued a certificate. If they live in the royal territory, their children will also have a marriage relationship with Kurds, and that will naturally make them Kurdish."

Those who wished to leave Syria would risk their lives to go to Europe putting themselves on a stowaway ship, and most of them often were abandoned in the Mediterranean Sea and became fish feed before they even reached their destination.

Even if they got lucky and arrived in Greece or Italy, they would be classified as illegal immigrants and were locked up in prison camps and deported later.

"If they're caught in the royal territory, they'll be sent back."

"That's their luck. If they have any exceptional skills, they'll be recognized as refugees."

"When I was living in Syria, I hated the fact that I was Kurdish, but now I am proud to be Kurdish."

"Of course. We should be proud. The Kurds in Syria are blessed. Especially for us, we should be grateful to death. We were chosen as intelligence agents, and we could help other Kurds. If we hadn't migrated in the early days, our bodies would be rolling around on the ground in a valley of northern Syria by now."

Some talented former Kurdish militia members were selected and hired as intelligence agents, and it was their case.

To work in Syria, they had to be able to speak French, so the Kurds were the only alternative as they knew the local situation well.

The activities of Kurdish intelligence agents were shining everywhere.

In addition to helping their countrymen, Kurdish intelligence agents were willing to risk their lives.

"This will be the last withdrawal."

"The royal family says this is their last chance. I was told to drag any Kurds even by force, so let's finish the screening and return to Aleppo."

"So are we going to be stationed in the Al-Hasakah area, too?"

"I think the royal family gave up Al-Hasakah because the hard-liners are adamant."

"Oh! What a bunch of stupid people. With less than half a million inhabitants, will the Kurdistan Regional Government be maintained?"

"They've got an oil field, so they'll hold up for a while. I doubt the Syrian government will allow it, though. The Kurds in Aleppo have all moved out, so the Royal Bodyguards will be withdrawn soon."

Al-Hasakah was a transportation hub with a river, where Syria and Iraq bordered each other. Since a large-size oil field was found here recently funding hard-liners' activities, but it was also an area where free Syrian forces, which were funded by Turkey, and Kurdish hard-liners were battling every day.

***

"Make sure the oil pipes are properly connected. The U.S. Navy is watching, so move fast."

The captain of the Naval fleet, Victor Jun, was commanding naval soldiers from the bridge of Aegis destroyer 1001.

On the outside of Latakia, two Aegis destroyers and three frigates belonging to the Kazakh royal family were receiving refueling from the U.S. Navy's 6th Fleet oil supply ship.

Oil could also be supplied at the port of Latakia, but the reason for the oil supply from the U.S. Navy supply ship was part of the maritime exercise.

It was the first time for vessels to fluctuate due to waves to maintain a certain distance and receive oil supplies, so soldiers were very nervous.

"Chief, I've completed the fleet's oil supply."

"Then let's get ships 901 and 902 on the move. 15 car ferries just left from the Port of Latakia, so tell them to escort the ferries to the Sea of Azov."

"We're not escorting them just to the Black Sea? They said the Russian patrol boats no longer bother them."

"How can we believe what the Russian government says? You can't rest until those ferries get into the canal, so make sure we watch the whole process."

The Azov Sea was a Russian sea area next to Crimea in the northern part of the Black Sea.

Russian patrol boats were taking little money from Turkish shipping companies entering the Azov Sea.

That was why the Kazakh naval vessels were escorting the car ferries as the Russian patrol boats would not dare bother the Kazakh Navy.

Originally, the navy could not enter the Black Sea unless it belonged to the Black Sea coast country, but the Kazakh Navy was recognized as an observer state to enter and exit the Black Sea.

"They're not beggars, and I don't know why they do that."

"This is the last week, so we won't have anything to do with those patrol boats in the future. When I meet them in the Mediterranean, I'll teach them a lesson."

Captain Jun was gnashing his teeth.

As it was nasty for the Russian patrol boats to collect tolls on car ferries with migrants on it.

"Car ferries departing tomorrow morning will be escorted by vessel 903, and we will return to Arirang Island."

"Captain, the U.S. Navy has not arrived in the Syrian waters yet."

"Just ignore it. It's not our fault that the U.S. Navy is late, again."

The Kazakh Navy was supposed to wait until an Aegis destroyer from the U.S. Mediterranean Fleet shifted the mission to the U.S., but it had not arrived yet even after the promised time had far passed.

Captain Jun was trying to leave without waiting, as the U.S. Navy broke the mission shift time every time.

"Don't we have to let them know that we're getting out of the Port of Latakia?"

"That won't make any difference. Just notify the U.S. military supply ship and leave. Our mission has been roughly completed, and we don't have anything to see here from now."

"Our guards haven't pulled out from there yet."

"We're supposed to pass through the Turkish border without using the sea route, so we can pick it up from Georgia."

The Royal Bodyguards in Aleppo decided to withdraw by land a month from now.

That was because most of the Kurds living in Syria had moved to Kazakhstan.

"Prepare for departure!"

"Aye, aye, sir! Each department, get ready to sail! 15 minutes before departure!"

Soon afterward, the sound of the warship's distinctive whistle sound echoed in the outer port.

Moments later, two Royal Navy's Aegis destroyers slowly exited the port of Latakia.