Washington found itself trapped between two key allies who are bitter foes – North Atlantic Treaty Organisation partner Turkey, and the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, also taking part in the war against the Islamic State jihadist group but considered a “terrorist” group by Ankara.
Advertisement
The return of control over the border could significantly improve the position of allied Syrian rebels, who with the support of Turkish forces had already seized the strategic border town Jarablus from ISIS on August 25.
Dubbed Euphrates Shield, Turkey’s operation, which involves tanks, fighter jets and special forces, is targeting both ISIL but also Syrian Kurdish forces that have been key to driving ISIL fighters out of other parts of the Syrian-Turkish border.
In an exclusive interview with Trend, Armagan Kuloglu, a retired lieutenant-general of the Turkish armed forces and expert on national security, said Turkey can launch new operations against PYD in the city of Afrin in northwestern Syria as a lever of political pressure.
The Turkish-backed rebels, mainly Syrian Arabs and Turkmen fighting under the banner of the Free Syrian Army, took charge of the frontier between the towns of Azaz and Jarablus on Sunday after seizing 20 villages from the ultra-hardline Islamists. “The IS has been attacking Kurds on the Syrian border, and Turkey tolerates these attacks”.
A Turkish soldier on an armoured personnel carrier waves as they drive from the border back to their base in Karkamis on the Turkish-Syrian border in the southeastern Gaziantep province, Turkey, August 27, 2016. While FSA fighters now hold positions 20km north of the IS-held city, the Kurdish-led SDF-at odds with Turkey-hold positions roughly the same distance to the east, near Manbij.
The Kurdish YPG militia has already captured swathes of territory from Islamic State with support from the USA -led coalition against the group.
“Obama wants to do some things together concerning Raqqa in particular”, Erdogan said in comments published by Hurriyet newspaper, following meetings in China with Obama, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other world leaders.
Ankara would not object, Erdogan said.
“We said after they lost Manbij, Isis would start to lose everywhere”.
Advertisement
Members of Free Syrian Army (FSA) took control of ten villages in Jarabulus and three villages in Rai region during operation ‘Euphrates Shield’. We have told him that this is not a problem for us…
