Turkey has also turned its attention to Kurdish rebel groups in the region, reaffirming its stance that all armed forces fighting on the border are “terrorists”, including the US-backed Kurdish YPG militia.
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The situation on the ground in Syria has changed drastically now that Moscow and Ankara have resumed political, military and economic cooperation, Stanislav Tarasov, head of the Middle East-Caucasus think tank, notes in his article for Regnum. Russia, which backs the government in Damascus, said on Wednesday Ankara’s push south threatened Syria’s sovereignty.
Turkish-backed militia drove IS from the border town of Jarablus, but Turkey has also been concerned with checking the advance of Kurdish forces whom it regards as terrorists.
Through its large-scale incursion into northern Syria, Turkey has made itself a military player in the country.
Still, it can not be denied that there is a certain thaw in relations between Turkey and the geopolitical players, Tarasov underscores.
It would be an acknowledgement by Washington of Turkey’s continuing strategic interest in Syria. “We said, “Let our soldiers come together, whatever is necessary will be done”, Erdogan said.
“Our soldiers should get together and whatever needs to be done can be done”, Erdogan said, adding that Turkey and USA have been working in harmony so far in the operation against Islamic State. “We stated that would not be a problem from our perspective”.
Concrete proposals for action will have to be worked out separately, Erdogan added.
Erdogan observed that US President Barack Obama “wants” Turkey to work with Washington to retake al-Raqqa from the IS militants. He was speaking after meetings in China with Obama, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other world leaders.
“Now it is important to expand this zone”, the spokesperson emphasized; “Therefore the [Syrian] opposition forces are moving deeper into Syria, liberating new territories [from Daesh]”.
Tarasov emphasizes that a 180-degree turn in Russo-Turkish relations has caught the global community and Western powers off guard.
It said the tanks were destroyed and “a number of Turkish soldiers” killed.
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The Kurds are still considered by the Pentagon to be the US’ most effective ally in fighting IS, but they now believe they’ve fallen prey to global double standards, according to the interview.
