ghazi52
THINK TANK: CONSULTANT
Turkish interests in the northeast
Turkey has long had vested interests in Syria. Before Assad’s fall, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had repeatedly pledged an imminent ground operation into northern Syria, aiming to empty the area of fighters allied to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a militant group that Turkey and the US deem a terrorist organization, as well as to create a safe zone for refugee return.After the rebel offensive started almost two weeks ago, fighting between the Turkey-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) and Kurdish militants in the northeast erupted.
The Turkish government has long regarded Syrian Kurdish groups as part of or linked to the PKK. However, Kurdish forces served as key US partners in the fight against ISIS and control swathes of land in northeast Syria.
When Assad was successfully ousted by the HTS-led groups, open combat between the Turkish-backed SNA and Kurdish forces escalated over the past weeks.
Fears of a Turkish incursion have also not abated. On Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal cited unnamed US officials saying Turkey and its militia allies are building up forces near Kobani, a Kurdish majority city in Syria, with fears that a cross-border operation is imminent.





