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This is probably much more than an empty plan - it has been building all month.

The Kurds did cross the Euphrates River at the start of the month - violating Turkey’s “Red Line”.

There have been skirmishes all through that zone, all month, preparing the battlefield.

What is brewing now, is to move in with a large occupation force of several thousand, decisively drive out the opposition, harden against counterattack, and establish checkpoints to decisively shut off resupply to Turkey’s surrogates (including ISIS). That takes a coordinated plan.

Last Summer, the Kurds swept along the Turkish/Syrian border for Iraq all the way to the Euphrates (four or five times as long as this piece) and have held it.

It used to be a short drive from the ISIS capital of Raqaa to Turkey for resupply, medevac, and even routine recreation. The Kurds have blocked that and held it. ISIS now has to drive hundreds of miles to get stuff from Turkey, under threat of Russian air attack.

The Kurds are highly motivated to link up the isolated Kurdish area to the West (Afrin), with the rest of their de facto new Kurdish Canton of Rojava.

The Turks are squealing like stuck pigs at the Kurds making this move. They called the US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to Turkey when the Kurds crossed their “Red Line” - but the US has not publicly done anything to stop the Kurdish advance.

Recent reports indicate that Russia has given the Syrian Kurds heavy weapons and armored vehicles - which would be a big upgrade for them (the Iraqi Kurds only field six WW II era tanks).

If you look at recent Russian air strikes and Syrian Army movements, they have been clearly working to interdict the supply lines and encircle Aleppo. Supporting the Kurds in closing this last gap is essential to the Russian/Syrian strategy.

Cutting this supply corridor will cut both ways - no ammo to ISIS, but also no Syrian oil to the Erdogan crime family in Turkey. It’s kind of a big deal really.