In a move that is unprecedented in the growing cooperation between the two nations, Turkey and Russia today announced that their warplanes launched a joint aerial attack on ISIS fighters in the Aleppo city of al-Bah, a city which Turkey has been sieging for over a month.
Russia had previously launched airstrikes in support of the Turkish siege, targeting ISIS forces around the periphery of the city. This is the first time, however, the two nations, which are co-sponsoring peace talks next week in Kazakhstan, are directly operating together in Syria.
That’s a huge turnaround from just 14 months ago, when Turkey shot down a Russian warplane over northern Syria, greatly increasing hostility between the two nations. In recent months they’ve been cooperating on brokering a ceasefire, planning peace talks, and fighting ISIS together.
The joint operations also dramatically undercut the Pentagon’s report of a single airstrike against al-Bab yesterday, which they presented as in support of Turkey, and which came after Turkey loudly criticized them for not sufficiently supporting the anti-ISIS operation.
Looks a lot like Russia has moved it’s chess pieces forward while there was still an opportunity to do so in the dying days of the Obama admin. Now there is little doubt that there is a lot of undoing to be done by the Trump regime.
It could take the US at least six months to get the act together and a lot of damage (peaceful damage) could be done in the meantime. We should be diligent in watching how the US moves as quickly as possible under Trump to even the playing field in Syria. Look for some sort of provocation by the US against Assad’s forces or aircraft. Maybe even Russia’s, on the pretense of a mistake?
Can you clarify your point? To me it seems you are suggesting that Trump
administratiom would like to escallate US involvement in Syria? And to get back to regime change policy of Barack Obama? Somehow it does not make sense to undermine the fragile beginings of Astana peace process or
UN resolution in support of the process. There is ISIS — number one priority for Trump. As action stalled in Mosul — ISIS is getting its forces reinforced in Deir Azzor, Palmyra and Al-Bab. And what is Obama doing on his last day? Bombing Ahrar Alsham, a group that split ftom Al-Nusra to join pesce process. Hust like ghe other day coalition bombed Al-Nusra jail with FSA.group arrested for splitting. None of this is helping with ressurgent ISIS. The only part of Mosul that is liberated is East, while the bulk of ISIS is in the West.
What is needed is a real offensive on ISIS. And a real cutoff of supplies. So far, US has not made much difference.
Let us see how this shapes in the near future.