Your School. Your Paper. Since 1936.

The Suffolk Journal

Your School. Your Paper. Since 1936.

The Suffolk Journal

Your School. Your Paper. Since 1936.

The Suffolk Journal

Turkish offensive rolls south through IS territory

Turkey recently began its push down into the self-proclaimed Islamic State (ISIS) controlled region of Al Bab, Syria as part of an expansion of Operation Euphrates Shield that began about a month ago. The operation has successfully taken the border towns of Jarablus and A’zaz. Now they have set their sights on Al Bab, which is within 50 kilometers of  war-torn Aleppo.

“They are on the move, we know that,” said Robert Laffey, senior professor, who focuses on Middle East politics and International Relations. “They want to weaken the Kurds in Syria, the Syrian Kurds and the Iraqi Kurds.”

The recent deployment consisted of three armored brigades, a mechanized brigade and the Special Forces of Turkey, known as the Maroon Berets. When the Turkish Army moved across the border on Aug. 24, they came into conflict with the Syrian Democratic Forces and People’s Protection Units, which are primarily Kurdish in the north. Fighting has died down between the groups, said Sharfan Darwish, spokesman for the SDF-allied Manbij Military Council to BBC, and that a cease-fire has been signed that Turkey is denying, reports BBC. They have continued to make gains in their push southward, with a majority of battles ending before they begin, as ISIS seems willing to abandon territory, according to the New York Times.

Turkey’s motivation for this intervention is a product of internal upheaval.

“Turkey is concerned about internal stability, especially after the Coup, and they’re turning over materials about Gulian to the US because they want to extradite him,” said Laffey. “In question is how much Turkey has cooperated with ISIS, since they opened the border, but now it’s closed.”

During the coup, both the liberal and far-right parties of Kemalist Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) denounced the coup unanimously, and the government managed to regain control. This unanimous rejection of the coup has played an important part in the political aftermath, according to Newsweek. 

The coup wiped the slate clean, allowing the previous infighting between the parties to cease temporarily, according to Turkish news source Haberturk. This convinced the three main parties that the problems were existential and could not be ignored any longer while politics played out.

“Everyone in the conflict wants a chunk of Syria, Turkey especially,” said Laffey. “It’s possible that if the Assad Regime falls that Syria will end up divided between Turkey, Israel and the rest of the neighbors.”

A rally in Yenikapi for “Democracy and Martyrs” on Aug. 7, was attended by many important state officials, public figures and politicians who delivered speeches in anshow of unity. Present at the rally was the Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım, President Erdoan, General Chief of Staff Hulusi Akar, CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdarolu and MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli according to the BBC.

After the rally, the parties united on several issues that were facing Turkey, such as national security, the Syrian intervention and a mini constitutional reform package, which was unlikely before the coup attempt because of internal unrest, according to Reuters.

The possibility of increased cooperation with Turkey has further strengthened Russia’s position in the Middle East, and has forced the United States to compromise with Turkey on the issue of the Syrian Democratic Forces and People’s Protection Units forces. Appeasement of Turkey culminated when U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, visited Ankara where he echoed calls for the People’s Protection Units to pull back from their territorial gains.

“The Turks don’t want to alienate the US, they’re allies and want to stay in NATO, and the question is how far will the US allow Turkey to go against the Kurds,” said Laffey.

The region is still in a state of uncertainty. Turkey is currently supporting Free Syrian Army forces in a manner similar to the U.S. with special military forces acting as spotters on the ground while conventional firepower fills the gaps where local forces are lacking. When conflict dies down with ISIS it is possible these forces could be turned against the primarily Kurdish SDF/YPG which are terrorist organizations in Turkey.

In addition, this alludes to Turkey’s intention to shift from its Republican Era policy that has refrained from using its military as the primary mean for foreign policy goals. In the event that the intervention is a success, it is possible that Turkey will change its foreign policy; a policy based more heavily on strategic partnerships, which can be used to make up for a lack of political influence. Similarly to how Russia used its military deployment in Syria to reopen channels with the West, Turkey has used its intervention to force NATO to accommodate its concerns about the SDF/YPG.

It also faces the threat of overusing military action to solve all of its problems. Turkey is in a precarious position, and has to be careful to avoid overextending. But the future of ISIS looks dim, while Turkey’s is looking up for now.

Leave a Comment
More to Discover

Comments (0)

All The Suffolk Journal Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Activate Search
Turkish offensive rolls south through IS territory