OPINION:
In a sign that Turkey has decided it needs to change the “facts on the ground,” the Islamic nation has decided to get more involved in the Syrian civil war. Turkey seems mainly concerned about a Kurdish state being “stood up” along its Syrian border. The Turkish military has long fought a smoldering low-intensity conflict with the PKK, a Kurdish rebel group which Turkey considers a terrorist organization. The YPG, an ally of the PKK has been successful fighting the Islamic State and has received Russian as well as indirect U.S. support. Turkey has been supporting up to now Sunni rebels fighting the Assad government.
“In the six months ahead of us, we shall be playing a more active role,” Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said. “It means not allowing Syria to be divided along ethnic lines.” A future political settlement for Syria must not include Mr Assad, the PKK or “Daesh” - the so-called Islamic State (IS) group - he said, reports the BBC.
Turkey also belatedly acquiesced to the temporary presence of the Assad regime in Syria. This development seems to have come from Turkey’s rapprochement with Russia after the Turkish downing of a Russian fighter bomber over Turkish airspace last year. The bromance with Vladimir Putin and Turkish president Erdogan developed after Russian sanctions seriously impacted the Turkish economy. “He is one of the actors today, whether we like it or not,” Mr. Yildirim said.
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