War & Conflict

Turkey's war on ISIL marks major policy shift

Turkey wants to prevent the Kurds from carving out their own state in northern Syria.

26 Jul 2015 15:32 GMT | War & Conflict, Middle East, Turkey-Syria border, Syrian crisis, Turkey, ISIL

http://www.aljazeera.com/blogs/middleeast/2015/07/turkey-war-isil-major-policy-shift-150725194129789.html

By: Zeina Khodr

Roving Correspondent
Turkey has declared war on ISIL in a major shift in policy. Authorities would argue that its decision to militarily engage the armed group is a natural response from a country under threat.

But there are others who believe Turkey's decision to actively engage has as much to do with the battlefield in northern Syria.
The government is concerned about ISIL threatening Syrian opposition groups in their strongholds in Aleppo.

It is also worried about what it perceives as the growing strength of Syria's Kurds.
Syria's Kurds or the YPG, which is linked to Turkey's Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), now controls half of the country's 800km border with Turkey - stretching from the Iraq border to the town of Kobane.

One Minute ISIL

Turkey believes the Kurds are carving out their own state in northern Syria and that would encourage separatist sentiments among its own Kurdish population.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly said that would be a red line for Turkey.

Officials even blamed US air strikes for helping the Kurds gain ground from ISIL.
Some believe there is a deal with the US that addresses Turkey's concerns.

Turkish fighter jets are for the first time targeting ISIL in Syria. But it is no coincidence that they are targeting them near the front lines with Syrian opposition groups in the northern countryside of Aleppo province.

Turkey's fear is that Syrian Kurds or ISIL could drive out Syrian those groups from the area  - and control the important border crossing of Kilis.

Ankara doesn't want those groups which it supports to be weakened in the fight against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Just a few weeks ago, there was talk of a coalition-backed Syrian Kurd offensive west of Kobane towards the ISIL controlled town of Jarablous.

Cross-border operation

We were in the border area at the time and Turkish officials threatened a cross-border operation to prevent further Kurd and ISIL advances in the Aleppo region.

It was unlikely to happen especially since the military didn't seem to be on board but following that warning a high-ranking US delegation came to Turkey for talks.
Since then, the Kurds haven't made any advances towards the west.

And now, Turkish officials are talking about a "safe zone" in areas that will be cleared from ISIL - that is what they expect will emerge following the military campaign.
"When areas in northern Syria are cleared of ISIL threat, the safe zones will be formed naturally," Mevlut Cavusoglu, Turkish foreign minister, said.

Turkey has long demanded a no-fly zone inside Syria. In fact many in Turkey say that was the condition for access to Incirlik.

It is not clear if a "safe zone" was part of any deal.

But Washington has long resisted that demand because of international legal implications and possible international confrontation.

And more importantly the coalition's strategy and priority is to defeat ISIL.
Turkey would like to see a broader mission to take on the Syrian regime.

But for now the US has Turkey's support in the war against ISIL and Turkey may have guarantees that Syria's Kurds will be contained and ISIL wont be able to threaten the Syrian opposition.

And Turkey's decision to also declare war on the PKK can be seen as an extension of the campaign to weaken the Syrian Kurdish force, the YPG, who are an offshoot of the PKK.

COMMENT:

Every country has the right to protect its sovereignty from would be attack coming from a friendly country or from a vicious enemy country irrespective of any cost. It had been a long drawn struggle of Israel to subdue Egypt and Turkey's Muslim power in Mid-East to rule comfortably the Muslim region. 

But even after US's Zionists pumping billions of middle  and poor class hard earned tax paid $ these uncouth filthy mother fucker terrorist country could not dare raise its head in front of Turkey. To the extent that ultimately it had to bow down and beg apology for killing Turks where in even US could not get an apology from this treacherous terrorist state for killing American nationals like street dogs in Israel..

However, it must be remembered that US congressional Zionist lawmakers are bent upon to break the back bone of Turkey because of one factor and that is that it has the support of Saudi Arab, Jordon and after weakening Egypt,  Turkey is the next target. 

It is the US Zionist Republican congressional Lawmakers under cover using MOSSAD to helping ISIS and  PKK Kurds in Syria to do what is being done against Turkey.

 And what ever Turkey is doing is the right thing. Turkey must search out all the Mossad agent and kill them summarily. One should not forget that ISIS and PKK are both the products of Israel 

In this world of deception and fast changing events, believing own father and mother has also become too difficult least to speak of any trusted best friends and allies. It is all because of the Israel's and US Zionist NAZI'S Illegitimate children. Example these unreliable uncouth filthy Nazi's children even did not spare the US nationals from committing treachery with them, though they called them best friends and most trusted ally in Mid East.

Lately a group of Zionists are trying to patch up the difference between Israel and US administration. So that Israel can enjoy the same old status and be known as the defacto ruler of Middle East region.