“These conflicting reports could be a further indication of mounting tension between Turkey and the USA about how to deal with northern Syria”, said Al Jazeera’s Hashem Ahelbarra, reporting from Gaziantep on the Turkish side of the Syria-Turkey border.
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Turkey crossed the border into Syria last week to help the rebel Free Syria Army recapture the town of Jarablus from Isis.
While the Turkish government says that they are entering Syria in order to defeat terrorism and capture the city of Jarabulus; this does not negate the fact that they have now violated the territorial sovereignty of another country.
It is hardly surprising, then, that Washington this week reacted angrily to reports that Turkish forces, which are supposed to be supporting coalition efforts to destroy Isil in Syria, have been targeting Kurdish positions instead.
Turkish clashes with SDF loyalists have alarmed the United States, which has described the Turkish action as “unacceptable” because it hindered the battle against Islamic State.
TURKEY announced yesterday that it will not relinquish its attacks on Syrian Kurdish militia, saying that it will never negotiate with a “terrorist” organisation. On top of all this the USA has the advantage of using the Incirlik Airbase in Turkey against ISIL, which it clearly does not want to lose, despite calls from hotheads in Washington to pull out of this base.
Given that PYD has reportedly started withdrawing its Kurdish forces from Manbij, Turkey has realized its short-term security goals in Syria.
Turkey frets that seizing such a broad swathe of territory could embolden Kurdish PKK insurgents on Turkish soil.
The assault on the Kurdish-led forces has sparked worldwide concern and Washington had said on Tuesday that the two sides had agreed to a ceasefire.
In Washington, a Pentagon spokesman told reporters on Wednesday there had been calm in northern Syria in the past 24 hours. The US, like much of Europe, also says the PKK is a terrorist organization, but refuses to brand the PYD/ as such.
During the past week Turkish forces have invaded Syria to engage Syrian Kurds supported by the United States.
Turkey’s European Union minister Omer Celik denied Wednesday that there was any kind of cease-fire agreement with the Kurds.
“They will remain our target unless they retreat east of the Euphrates”, he said, repeating Turkey s demand that the Kurdish People s Protection Units (YPG) retreat to the northeast.
At the Pentagon on Tuesday, Army Gen. Joseph Votel, commander of U.S. Central Command, called on Turkey and the YPG to stop fighting each other and focus on ISIL, another acronym for ISIS. Pro-Western elements in the bureaucracy, on the other hand, seemed ready to approve a joint operation with USA forces whereby the Free Syrian Army (FSA) could possibly be equipped to take the lead as land forces, which would in turn require minimal Turkish involvement.
Kurdish dreams of establishing an independent homeland have thrived since the Ottoman Empire, and have continued despite the betrayal of the Kurdish cause at the end of the First World War, when the victorious powers chose to partition Kurdish territories between the newly created states of Turkey, Syria and Iraq.
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“Operation Euphrates Shield was not and can not be expected to be limited to rooting out ISIL from Syria’s areas bordering Turkey”.
