With former ally Turkey, the Syrian government can’t seem to win.
In April the Turkish government was railing against Syria’s over-active border patrols, accusing them of killing refugees and even launching attacks against people inside Turkey. Now Turkey is condemning them for not controlling the border better.
Turkish officials say that the Assad regime is giving the Kurdish rebel faction the PKK virtual “free rein” in the country’s north, and blamed them for not catching PKK militants who crossed into Turkey with plastic explosives on Friday.
Faced with a growing civil war, Syria has backed off the PKK considerably, and the PKK for its part has endorsed the regime, fearing that the Turkish-backed rebels would be considerably harsher toward them.
This is perceived as a negative action by Turkey, but is materially no different than Turkey’s own behavior, as it has not only given Syrian rebel forces free rein over its own territory, but has eagerly endorsed the rebels and helped them to organize.
