(VOVWORLD) - One week after sending troops to Syria, Turkey has warned it might expand its military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG). The situation is unpredictable but Turkey has complicated the Syria situation and opened a new battlefield.
Turkey’s “Operation Olive Branch” began last Saturday, after the US announced a new security force of approximately 30,000 troops along Syria’s border with Turkey, where the YPG are a majority. Turkey was unhappy about US support for the Kurds who Turkey considers a terrorist group. Ankara said the US plan could help the Kurds establish a state which will threaten Turkey’s security.
 Turkish troops in Hatay prepare to advance to Afrin in northern Syria on January 21. (photo: VNA) |
Turkey’s “Operation Olive Branch” began last Saturday, after the US announced a new security force of approximately 30,000 troops along Syria’s border with Turkey, where the YPG are a majority. Turkey was unhappy about US support for the Kurds who Turkey considers a terrorist group. Ankara said the US plan could help the Kurds establish a state which will threaten Turkey’s security.
Sensitive operation
Afrin, in Syria’s northwestern region, is under YPG control. Turkey attacked Afrin to fight terrorists and prevent the Kurd from unifying the northwest and northeast as a self-governing state, similar to what the Iraqi Kurds have done. Turkey has always rejected idea of a Kurdish state in Syria because it will inspire Kurds in Turkey.
Unlike previous operations to divide and suppress Kurdish militias, Ankara’s current operation aims to eliminate the YPG. One week after launching attacks on Afrin, Turkey said it would expand “Operation Love Branch” to other Kurdish regions in Syria, including Manbij town and the area east of the Euphrates river.
Turkey said it doesn’t seek consensus with anyone and its ultimate goal is to eliminate threats to Turkey. The statement has deepened disagreement between Ankara and Washington, who supports the YPG and acknowledges their role in forcing ISIS out of Syria.
Worsening humanitarian crisis, threatening Syria peace talks
Turkey’s two-day military operation targeting Kurdish militias has left 5,000 people homeless and worsened the humanitarian crisis in Syria around Afrin, Idlib, and east Ghouta. Millions of people have fled Syria in the past 7 years. 10 million more are living in difficult conditions.
Turkey’s operation will hamper Russia’s effort to organize the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi late this month, where the Kurds have been invited to discuss a new Constitution and a UN-backed election. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has underscored the role of the Kurds in Syria’s political future.