In the latest in months of such threats, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced Wednesday that Turkish forces will invade northeastern Syria “within a few days,” aiming to clear all territory held by the Kurdish YPG east of the Euphrates River. This is virtually all of the territory east of the Euphrates within Syria.
The Pentagon responded to Erdogan’s threat by saying any Turkish invasion would be “unacceptable” and a grave concern to the US military forces present in Syria. Pentagon spokesman Commander Sean Robertson warned that the war against ISIS is not over and the Kurds are a “committed partner” against them.
Kurdish officials have warned that a Turkish invasion would derail their fight against ISIS further to the south. Early in the Kurdish offensive against ISIS, they’d also had to withdraw for a time because of Turkish threats.
Turkey has repeatedly attacked Kurdish territory in Syria throughout the Syrian War, and Erdogan had previously insisted that the Kurds could hold no land west of the Euphrates. Now, he is vowing to clear out all land east of the Euphrates as well.
But Erdogan has threatened to attack this area a lot of times, without having done so before. US officials have made efforts to placate him with promises of observation posts on the border, though Erdogan is now accusing the US of building such posts to protect the “terrorists” and not Turkey.
Well it is rather clear what US is doing. Not bring happy with Turkey, US is trying to secure borders of future Syrian Kurdish enclave, right on the border with Turkish Kurd populated area. What can be clearer — we intend to do some nation building — again!
It appears that there is a comprehension deficit surrounding Turkey’s earlier position on not expanding Kurdish zone west of Euphrates. At that time, US was fighting war against ISIS — well kind off. Even after ISIS left Raqqa we pounded the town making it inhabitable to the locals — Arabs. But then Kurds were jnstalled as overlords. Ever since ISIS was pushed out —,- with exception of token ISIS under our protection in Tanf and Deir Azzor — there was no longer need for keeping off limits the area East of Euphrates. If Turkey did not prevent Kurds waltzing down its border, Arabs would have been ethnically cleansed and US mived jn to give Kurds military support, creating a Kurdish-US zone aling entire Syrian Turkey borders. That was stopped when Turkey first intervened, defeating ISIS along Jarabulus- Al Bab corridor, connecting to Syrian government controlled territory. Thus, Kurds were stopped from expanding territory where they do NOT live. Then Turkey acted in Kurdish Afrin, sealing its border and stopping transit of arms from Turkish Kurds, through Afrin to Al-Qaeda in Idlib. Now, ISIS war is over, and Iraqi air strikes hit ISIS in Syria — how much more excuses can we find to build Kurd state on the territory US is controlling east of Euphrates? Point is — Kurds DO NOT LIVE THERE, with the exception of Kobane area, and less in Hassakah. The border Turkey is refering to consists of villages and towns where Kurds IMPOSED THEIR RULE, but are majority Arab and Turkmen polulation. Turkey wants Kurds OUT of places they do not live in — and mind their own business in Kobane. Turkey now has a mych larger army of Syrian Arabs and Turkmen along the border who want to go back to their homes, while US is in the name of remnant ISIS, trying to hold on the entire area aling Turkish and Iraqi border — setting up toll booths to any future development, transportation or trade in the region. Sooner or later, Turkey, Iraq and Syria will not alliw it. Even if US creates checkpoints to protect Syrian Kurds along Turkish border, Turkey can come from Al Bab towards Raqqa as well, making it impossible for US to justify the occupation of Syria.
Kurds — that is YPG — are branch of PKK, use PKK flag, picture of PKK leaders on walls — what else do we need to know, except that if we want to have Turkey as an ally, we need to stop using a terrorist organization, PKK, to take control of Turkish border and good chunk of Syria.
US just recently sent a high level delegation to Turkey. It looks like we are determined to “training” in Euphrates area, training Kurds who do not live there to oppress and occupy the population that saw removal of ISIS — and then had to accept US-Kurdish occupation against their will. It would be best for US to organize a referendum in thise areas to let population decide if they wish to be ruled by Kurds or to be under Damascus. That would stop Turkish military action. But it woud also show that vast majority would like to be ruled from Damascus, so this is politically not acceptable. Turkey was not given options but to use military to defeat YPG. Any military action against Turkey calls in the question of NATO defense of a member state. Who will call it, Turkey or US? How about getting US troups out — all problems solved. The tiny USIS pocket would be iverrun by Syrian and Iraqi forces — and Kurds need to get to the table where constitution is being drafted. This will be interesting to watch.
After decades of Turkey fighting exactly that outcome, it is fantasy to imagine that any Turkish government will allow it. Every variant of Turkish government fought it over those decades, and they always will. This is not just Erdogan.
Very true.
Kurds iin general are used in the same manner Albanians are used in Balkans. The difference us, Albanians have a country. But Albanian minorities are used in Serbia, Macedonia, Mintenegro and even Greece to subvert governments using their minority status as a justification for violence. This is how Kosovo state was born. The fact that a minirity constitutes majority in a region of a country — has become an excuse to demand all sorts of constitutional privileges, many of them NOT granted to majority. Perfect example is Macedonia where Albanan minority us used to firce the country into NATO against wishes of majority. Violence, unconstitutional acts of ignoring referendum, imprisonment of deputies until they were forced to give vote in parliament to approve of NATIO plans. And the geographic role is the same. Macedonia, just like Kurd enclaves, would be a barrier to trade, infrastructure and economuc development. The objective is to block freedom of trade for landlocked Austria, Hungary and Serbia and their connectivity to Greece and access to sea trade. Greece, being EU debt slave has little say, ither then being able to sell uts main port to China. But the plans for infrastructute depend on the freedom of Balkan states to agree and build bith infrastructure and tarrif rules for free transit of goods. Such toll roads that US is building around globe would prevent freedom of decision for neighboring states to have a say in their development. This is the neaning of Syrian Kutdish enclave US is building in Syria, to create roadblocks between Turkey and the rest of Middle East, and by isolating Iran to prevent the large scale Asian, Middke East and Mediterranean integration. Iran is key to that. And by controlling Ukraine, no connectivity between Asia via Russia and Balkans is possible. The same game is played with Yemen in order to insure control of Bab Al Mandeb, and block trade from Europe to Asia, particularly damaging to Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Egypt if Bab Al Mandeb becomes a toll booth. Then there is Malaaca Straits, and Rongihya minority that just ”hapoen” to control the shortest connection between China and sea bypassing the Straights. One can go on and on.
But Turkey is a vivid example how you can damage relationship by insisting that a country behaves contrary to its national interest. If Turkey alllows permanent US protected Kurd enclave in its border — Turkush Kyrds would get easy supply of weapons and eventually force Turkey to cede its border regions with Syria and Iraq. As Erdogan said — Turkey would end up being isolated to Anatolia. Just like a case of Kosovo, NATO would be in charge of the “newest” mafia state.
Turkey has in its side the fact that Kurdish minority in Syria is limited in its geographic reach, and US tried to expand their control iver major towns, like Manbij by ethnically cleansing — particularly rich, influential and elite in any way — to have only poor stay to be easily controlled by small number if Kurds. Area East of Euphrates is starting to look like Israel. Minority controlling vast majority with the support of superpower.
Nobody un the region can afford another Israel, this time Kurdish. So, before the pattern settles, and while still fluid, Turkey us the only ine with the Army, air force and large number of locals, former rebels, armed and motivated to retake villages and towns now held by YPG. With population seething — US still seems determiined to do Israel’s bidding and hang on Euphrates valley. Turkey has support if Iraq, Syria and Russia. Syria used to be protective of Kurds and was restraining Turkey. But now, Kurds are on their own.
While this game may last a while longer, it will have to come to blows. Nobody wants this sutuation to go much longer. US I hope is not counting in Saudi help.
Nice to see Erdogan back to his old self after the near-death experience of the Turkish Lira…
Did Turkey need to approve of our “invasion” in Syria? Or our invasion of Iraq?
As I recall, Turkey refused US access to Iraq for the invasion.
Exactly, so why should Turkey need approval for their invasion?
Just shows how wise the Turks were. Too bad the US House and Senate failed to follow the Turks.
Since Turkey is next door and we are not this is a losing policy in the long run.
Unacceptable? What can the Pentagon do about it?
Only push Turkey further into the arms of Russia-Syria-Iran!
Erdogan is sly as a fox.
“The Pentagon responded to Erdogan’s threat by saying any Turkish invasion would be “unacceptable”
You would think, after Vietnam, in which American flyers shot down were regarded not as POW’s, but “bandits”, as the U.S. had troops there without a declaration of war, that the Pentagon would keep its mouth shut. The depressing fact ( the late Gen. Smedley Butler, who wrote War is a Racket would point this out if he were still alive) is that U.S. troops in Syria, an act of war, are there to defend U.S. oil interests.
Yeah, well they say a Kurdish invasion is unacceptable. They also say that an American invasion to aid a Kurdish invasion is unacceptable.
How dare they? Well, how dare we?
The Syrian War was ill conceived, and is lost. [A Hillary conception, pushed by her brand of neocons onto Obama.] Stop trying to win it anyway with bluster and dragging on the killing. It will only get more innocents killed, not change anything. That is the meaning of a war already lost.
Wow. Lots of supporters of Sultan Erdogan here.
I don’t think that is the issue, more a pot calling the kettle black kind of hypocrisy. At least Turkey is invading its neighbors who arguably might harbor terrorists or freedom fighters that are causing problems in Turkey. Syria is a loong long way from the USA.
Sultans, Czars, Dictators, our SOBs, what’s the difference?