Turkish troops continue to mass at the Syrian border Friday, with artillery fire from their positions pounding Kurdish YPG forces in the Syrian Afrin District, and Turkish DM Nurettin Canikli saying this is the “de facto start” of a full-scale Syrian invasion of Kurdish territory.
Turkish officials have threatened this invasion off and on for months, and earlier this week said it was imminent. Canikli says now there is “no turning back” and that the invasion is in progress.
Turkey has long presented the Kurdish YPG as “terrorists,” and insisted they will not allow them to retain territory west of the Euphrates River. To this end, President Erdogan says Turkey will attack Afrin first, then Manbij.
Other Turkish officials, however, say they consider it unacceptable for the YPG to retain any territory near the Turkish border at all, which means nearly all of their territory is at risk from this ongoing operation.
You can read the rest @
https://news.antiwar.com/2018/01/19/turkey-escalates-shelling-says-no-turning-back-from-syria-invasion/
I have never understood Turkey's hatred of the Kurds, but it is real.
This invasion may pit Turkey against US-supported terrorists. Way to go, Donald !!!
But maybe this is a good thing. I don't think Turkey will be the push-over that Iraq was. The loser in this war may be taught a hard lesson, and it would be nice if that lesson led to a cool down of what has been happening for decades in the Middle East.
No comments:
Post a Comment