Turkey often seeks to bombard Kurds every time Turkey’s ruling AK Party wants more votes at home. SETH J. FRANTZMAN MARCH 22, 2021 11:27 Turkey and Russia, as well as Russian-backed Syrian regime forces, appear to have increased attacks in Syria in recent days. Turkey is hammering Kurdish positions near Ain Issa with the first [...]
Turkey often seeks to bombard Kurds every time Turkey’s ruling AK Party wants more votes at home.
SETH J. FRANTZMAN
MARCH 22, 2021 11:27
Turkey and Russia, as well as Russian-backed Syrian regime forces, appear to have increased attacks in Syria in recent days. Turkey is hammering Kurdish positions near Ain Issa with the first airstrikes in months, according to reports. Russia or the Syrian regime it supports is hammering Syrians in areas Turkey occupies in northern Syria. It appears the end goal is mostly to punish Syrians, but not achieve much else since Turkey, Russia and Iran all work together in Syria. Turkey has targeted the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces.
Turkey often seeks to bombard Kurds every time Turkey’s ruling AK Party wants more votes at home. Turkey’s Lira is in free fall and major Kurdish gatherings for the Newroz festival may have angered Ankara, with the result that it decided to attack random people in Syria. Usually Turkey claims to be fighting “terrorists” but there is no evidence of any “terrorism” against Turkey from Syria. Turkey backs Syrian forces in Syria called the Syrian National Army that are former Syrian rebels who signed up to fight for Turkey. Turkey has sought to use them to fight the US-backed Kurdish forces rather than the Russian-backed Syrian regime.
The airstrikes on Ain Issa were reported by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights over the weekend. Meanwhile Iran’s Press TV reported that Russia was warning about “false flag” attacks by the extremist group HTS in Idlib. Usually when Russia claims there will be “false flag” attacks it becomes a reason for Russia to launch airstrikes. Various reports said that Russian jets had hit a “rebel training camp” and other sites. Other reports said trucks had been hit near the Bab al-Hawa crossing. In early March oil traders were targeted in Syria, also allegedly by Russia or the Syrian regime. They were targeted in Turkish-occupied parts of Syria. Turkey invaded Syria in 2016 and then continued with more invasions in 2017, 2018 and 2019, eventually ethnic cleansing Kurds from Afrin. While Russia, Turkey and Iran work together on Syria policy in some forums, on the ground they back different groups. They all agree on wanting the US to leave Syria. Turkey generally doesn’t mind if Russia or the Syrian regime kill Syrians in Idlib, just as long as Turkey has free rein to then attack Kurds near Tel Rifat or Ain Issa. It is a kind of trade off, Russia and Turkey can both bomb as much as they want in their respective areas just so long as it is not Turkish-backed SNA or Russian-backed regime forces who are killed. So civilians or Syrian fighters under HTS control can be killed and Kurds can be killed. Syria is a testing ground for weapons by Turkey and Russia as well.
