Senior Turkish officials are also talking about a “buffer zone” in North-eastern Syria. In short, the HDP will be asked: Are you pro-Turkey or pro-PKK?
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Many Turks, long accustomed to Erdogan’s determination to use any means to advance his political objectives, believe he would provoke a crisis with Kurdish fighters to rally much of the Turkish population around the AKP in any forthcoming election, conceivably winning a clear majority again, permitting Erdogan to strengthen the powers of the presidency.
US policy has enabled the PYD to establish a territorial continuity across its previously dispersed strongholds in the north and northeast part of Syria. The bulk of their numbers, including their commander have been captured or killed by Jabahat al Nusra, the Syrian al Qaeda affiliate.
This raises the interesting question of how carefully manned and unmanned air operations from Incirlik into Syria will be coordinated with the Assad regime. He has also presented himself as an important and respected player on the world stage after striking a deal with the United States and getting North Atlantic Treaty Organization support for his war.
“The US contacted us before they sent in this group and said they are fighting against Daesh [Islamic State] and not the Syrian army at all”, he said.
Post strike analysis assessed 35 ISIS militants were killed by the first wave of raids that was followed later on the same day (starting around 22:30 LT) by a larger air strike against PKK positions in northern Iraq.
It is also worth noting that the PKK is not all that popular with many Kurds, especially conservatives. The turmoil allows the KRG to capitalize on the situation in its ongoing turf war with the PKK.
In the past two weeks, Turkey has stepped up military action against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party or PKK, ending a three-year truce and a nascent peace process. “I am not afraid anymore since a long time”. The PKK therefore thinks that the Suruc killings were executed by the IS in connivance with the Turkish government.
Al-Moallem was joined by Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov in Iran this week to discuss an Iranian initiative to end the conflict in Syria, which has killed at least 250,000 people.
Turkey has an external and an internal context why it is breaking its ceasefire with the PKK.
A rights group told MEE last week that the bodies had been sitting in an air-conditioned container at the Turkey-Syria border after the Turkish government refused their entry.
U.S. European Command said travel to the restricted area will require approval from a general or flag officer for all servicemembers, civilian employees and sponsored dependents. This week, he unexpectedly travelled to Brussels for talks with Kurdish and EU representatives.
Turkey now has an interim government following elections in June. The AKP fell short of the needed 276 seats to get an absolute majority. But there are related Kurdish organisations that US leaders can and should approach, publicly reassure and privately work with to maintain their co-operation against Islamic State. It is in alliance with both Kurds and Turkey against IS, while Turkey considers Kurdish forces as its main enemy. Moualem said that the U.S. advised Damascus before beginning deployment of the thus-far ill-fated New Syrian Force unit.
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Finally, Turkey has been welcomed back into the US and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation fold following a year of tension arising from the Turkish government’s perceived inaction on IS. Combat aircraft are expected to lift off from Turkey’s Incirlik air base, just 60 miles west of the Syrian border, in the near future, spokesman Jeff Davis said. “And sooner or later this will be seen by the allies”, Ozel says.
