Posted on 04/20/2017 7:41:51 AM PDT by Texas Fossil
Turkish tanks on their way to Syria as part of the Euphrates Shield Operation launched in August 2016.
Turkey is planning three cross-border military operations into Iraq and Syria as a follow-up to the Euphrates Shield Operation, a pro-government newspaper has claimed.
The headline of the Yeni Safak daily on Thursday read, “Turkey to hit button” and said the Turkish government was going to initiate an operation into Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) bases in the Zap-Avashin and Shingal areas of the Kurdistan Region in northern Iraq.
According to the pro-government paper, another operation will be launched into the Karakozak area in northern Syria, where the Suleyman Shah tomb was formerly located. Karakozak is to the west of Manbij and controlled by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Ankara views the SDF as a “terrorist” organisation due to it being led by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), which it says is affiliated to the PKK.
The tomb, belonging to the grandfather of the founder of the Ottoman Empire, was moved to the village of Ashme in a joint operation with the YPG in 2015, after the jihadist Islamic State (IS) group threatened to attack it. Turkey denied YPG participation at the time.
Turkish officials, including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, previously said military incursions into neighbouring countries could be launched if Turkey saw fit.
The Euphrates Shield Operation came to an abrupt end in late March with critics saying the military incursion had been a disaster in terms of Turkish military and political goals in the region.
Turkey has said it will not allow a “Kurdish corridor” being formed on its southern border and has called for Free Syrian Army (FSA) groups it is backing to control the area. Attacks by FSA groups on SDF affiliated militias in north-western Syria’s Afrin region have been constant, local media has reported.
The Kurdish-led multi-ethnic autonomous administration in Syria’s north has expanded areas under its control and is proposing a federal solution to the crisis.
Both the Syrian government and opposition groups backed by Turkey, Gulf and Western states have rejected a federal solution.
The Newly minted Dictator, Erdogan the Islamist, in action.
Turkey Ping
Time to grab living space for Turks , it was tried by some German guy a few years ago
I guess Erdogan took that congratulatory phone call from Trump as a green light to invade his neighbors
Otherwise - it was another April Glaspie moment
Oh, those invasions were long ago planned. The Referendum was simply delaying his actions.
But, when he starts attacking the SDF, he may get a reaction he does not want.
I don’t think either Putin or Trump are fooled by Erdogan the Islamist.
I fail to see how Erdogan or Trump get a happy ending when Turkey again gets bogged down and starts crying for air support
I don’t think the Russians will help him this time
So Erdogan has the greenlight to openly kill Kurds.
He has been doing that for a long time whenever he feels like it.
Lately, the Kurds have been shooting back. Since Russia and US have presence on ground in Syria.
I think it is time for Trump to have a little talk with the “Dog”.
Kick these Sunni bastards out of NATO already!
Oy vey. Every armored vehicle is a tank and every warship is a battleship.
4-D Chess.
Trump and Putin definitely get votes on what happens in Syria.
I think it makes sense for Erdogan to try to seize the bridge on the main highway connecting Kobane to Manbij, and then the dam further South. That seems like the obvious move, to reclaim their red line, West of the Euphrates.
It could divert effort from Raqqa.
He might even launch several simultaneous ops (Bridge, Afrin, Sinjar, Northern Iraq) to compound the diversion, and try to overwhelm Kurdish ability to reinforce, or even command and control.
Yes, he will try to divert from destruction of his Islamists Buddies in ISIS.
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