Official Ankara stated, nobody can dictate how to protect the Turkish people. It was a response to criticism from the US and the EU who are unhappy with the development of Turkish military operations in Syria. Western countries, last week accompanied the Turkish troops towards the Syrian Dzharablus began to understand that this anti-terrorist operation is getting out of control.
“By developing the operation “Shield of the Euphrates, vital to the security of our country and our neighbours, the Turkish armed forces has proved that has not lost its force,” — said the head of Turkish General staff General Hulusi ACAR August 30, at the celebrations in honor of victory Day. According to him, the country’s army will continue military operations until, until its tasks are completed.
On Tuesday Turkey observed the 93rd anniversary of the victory of the country’s army under the command of the “father of the Turkish nation,” Mustafa Kemal Ataturk over the foreign invaders. For the first time these celebrations were not accompanied by the parade. Apparently, according to Ankara, the current operation of the Turkish armed forces in Syria, should become a worthy alternative to national identity.
“Shield of the Euphrates” began on August 24. Turkish special forces, tanks and aircraft in support of military aircraft of the Western anti-terrorist coalition and armed groups of the so-called Syrian opposition launched an offensive on Dzharablus, located on the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic (SAR). Damascus has described the actions of Ankara’s violation of state sovereignty and has demanded immediately to stop the operation. The Turkish authorities ignored the call.
The offensive was declared a terrorist operation. However, from the perspective of Ankara terrorists in Syria is not just a grouping “Islamic state” (banned in Russia). President Recep Tayyip Erdogan does not hide that it second if not first in importance the task of the Turkish armed forces is a combat self — defense forces of Syrian Kurds (YPG).
Sunday, August 28, the Turkish Ministry of the armed forces reported the killing in the town of Dzharablus 25 militants of the YPG is the military wing of the Democratic Union party (PYD).
Turkey claims that the YPG linked to the Kurdistan workers ‘ party (PKK), the main force fighting for Kurdish autonomy in Turkey. Ankara considers the PKK a terrorist organization and not the first year trying to suppress the resistance of its activists on their own territory. Now the country has the opportunity to strike at the Kurds in Syria, supporting the Turkish counterparts.
Kurdish rebels YPG in Syria, in turn, supported by the West. The United States supply the self-defense forces of Syrian Kurds weapons and used as their land force in the war against the “Islamic state”. Therefore, when Turkish armed forces launched an offensive on the territory controlled by the YPG under the pretext of fighting terrorism, the US and its allies nervous.
On 30 August the United States announced a truce between Ankara and the YPG forces. The representatives of the Syrian democratic Council (the political wing “of the Democratic forces of Syria” (SDF), calling for the creation of a federated Syria and created educated in the Kurdish federated region Rozhava — Northern Syria) stressed that this is only a temporary pause. An hour later CNN Turk reported on the new exchange.
According to Reuters, in the area of Dzharablus after reports of truce was shot down Turkish tanks.
The operation, which began as a joint campaign from Turkey and the United States against the “Islamic state” began to become a new hotbed of the Syrian “war of all against all”.
The West did not expect
“We do not support and will not support movement of Turkey in the Syrian South, and its actions against the SDF that support US,” said August 29 the adviser of the US President Ben Rhodes at the regular briefing with journalists. He also added that Barack Obama met with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, which will take place September 4 on the sidelines of the G20 summit in China, will criticize the development of the operation “shield of the Euphrates.
The head of the Pentagon Ashton Carter, in turn, told reporters that U.S. officials have several times had discussions with Turkish colleagues, during which “urged Ankara to focus on the formations of the “Islamic state” and not to engage in clashes with the YPG”.
On 30 August, a similar criticism was made by the President of France Francois Hollande. He called on all parties to cease hostilities and return to peace talks. He also compared the military operation of Turkey with Russia’s actions on the side of President Bashar al-Assad. Both “bears the risk of a General deterioration of the situation,” said Hollande.
In cooperation of Ankara and its Western allies in Syria is definitely “there has been a failure,” said the expert of the Moscow Carnegie center Alexei Malashenko. “Erdogan seems to have gone too far with the military plans,” the expert added.
On 30 August, the official representative the Ministry of foreign Affairs of Turkey stated that the country expects “the United States will fulfill its obligations” Washington needs to ensure that West of the Euphrates should not be any Kurdish militants. It is strategically important for Ankara. She doesn’t want to create a unified Kurdish zone along the Turkish border. The areas along the Euphrates along with the Dzharablus and a few other cities — the only area that divides the Kurdish enclaves: the Western Canton of Afrin and Eastern Jazira and Kobani. The YPG plans to create on the basis of all three cantons United Rojava, or Syrian Kurdistan, but the Kurds have repeatedly stated that this will be a multiethnic autonomy within the SAR.
Syrian newspaper Al Watan on August 29 reported that Turkish troops began shelling the settlements on the outskirts of the Kurdish enclave of Afrin. These military actions were clearly knocked out of the under attack on Dzharablus.
Trap Erdogan
According to the Deputy Director of the CIS Institute, Vladimir Yevseyev, recent events prove that Turkey has not reached any clear agreements with the United States. “Ankara likely just caught Washington by surprise. Turkish operation in Syria began a few hours before the arrival of the Vice-President of the United States Joe Biden in Ankara. American diplomacy had in the very short term to decide how to respond to the Turkish initiative. The situation was as follows: Turkey, the country is a NATO member, alone decided to invade Syria,” — says the source. If Washington has condemned the Turkish action immediately, it would lead to a dramatic cooling of bilateral relations.
“Jeopardized cooperation on the Turkish base of Incirlik, which houses American nuclear warheads. In addition, it could encourage Erdogan to withdraw from the EU deal on refugees that would lead to a new wave of migrants into Europe, — said Evseev. — Why Washington decided to support the Turkish operations.
The expert added that it’s unclear whether an agreement the Turkish leader about the Syrian operation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. “The meeting of two politicians in St. Petersburg on 9 August, Erdogan could take responsibility for the closure of the Turkish-Syrian border for Islamists, in return receiving from the Kremlin a promise not to intervene in the anti-Kurdish operation, — said Evseev. — But Russia in its current situation is much less stiff in their action than the United States. Moscow has not so many obligations.”
The source reminded that in some units of the “moderate opposition” with the Arab and the Kurdish fighters were seen by American military experts.
Moscow at the moment, will wait for Turkish-American-Kurdish conflict stabiliziruemost, and only after that will determine further action, said Yevseyev.
In his opinion, there is a chance that the Shield of the Euphrates” will force Washington to seek new ways of cooperation with Moscow, including on the siege of Aleppo that is now led by troops loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Moscow’s ally. The US has repeatedly demanded that Assad should leave his post. The Kremlin strongly opposed.
Alexei Malashenko from the Moscow Carnegie center did not comment on the probability of connection of Turkish troops to the Russian-American military coordination center. However, according to him, “all sides are interested in coming to a consensus” in the Syrian conflict.
