A conflict of interest between Ankara and Washington over Syria will likely see the two drift apart, with Turkiye aligning more closely with Eurasian powers. The series of airstrikes against Kurdish militants in northern Syria by Turkish jets in the past week come amid heightened concerns over Ankara’s threat to …
Read More »Turkish airstrikes decimate Syrian energy facilities: Oil Minister
The strikes have also worsened northern Syria’s water crisis, as a number of water pumps and desalination plants have been halted Syrian Oil Minister Bassam Tohme announced on 30 November that the Turkish airstrikes on northern Syria, which began around ten days ago, have severely damaged the country’s energy facilities, …
Read More »The Security Briefing: Pentagon tries to reason with Turkey
In this weekly newsletter, Pentagon Correspondent Jared Szuba rounds up the biggest security stories from the region. The Pentagon is taking a stand against Turkey’s plans to launch another assault against the Kurdish militias that form the bulk of the US-backed force fighting the Islamic State in Syria. That’s the …
Read More »Syrian opposition gears up for Turkish ground operation
As the Turkish-backed opposition factions prepare for an imminent Turkish ground operation against Kurdish forces in northern Syria, questions arise about the potential participation of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in the battle. The Turkish-backed factions in northern Syria are gearing up for an imminent ground operation led by Turkey against Kurdish forces, …
Read More »The risks and rewards of Erdogan’s next military operation
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has signaled his intent to soon launch the ground phase of Operation Claw-Sword, a military operation designed to clear areas along Turkey’s southern borders of fighters from affiliates of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party or PKK, which the United States lists as a terrorist organization. A …
Read More »Turkey Briefing
As actors involved have notably toned down their objections to Turkey’s potential ground offensive in northern Syria, the ball seems to be in Russia’s court, but how can Ankara convince Moscow to give it a green light?
Read More »Could Syrian Kurdish issue facilitate Erdogan-Assad rapprochement?
Damascus’ low-key reaction to Turkey’s recent strikes on Syrian Kurdish targets suggests it might acquiesce to Turkish military moves that would contribute to ending the US military presence in the north.
Read More »Turkey presses Finland, Sweden for ‘asset freeze,’ extraditions
Ankara demands “concrete steps” from Sweden and Finland before giving the nod to NATO’s Nordic enlargement, including an “asset freeze,” a demand that hasn’t been expressed publicly before. Turkey will wait for more concrete steps — including a freeze of “terror assets” in Sweden and Finland — before giving a …
Read More »The risks and rewards of Erdogan’s next military operation
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has signaled his intent to soon launch the ground phase of Operation Claw-Sword, a military operation designed to clear areas along Turkey’s southern borders of fighters from affiliates of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party or PKK, which the United States lists as a terrorist organization. A …
Read More »Turkey vows to expand effort to end ‘terrorist’ threat beyond its borders
The Turkish ministry of defense claims to have killed 471 Kurdish militants in 271 separate attacks in Syria and Iraq since the start of the operation The Turkish Minister of Defense, Hulusi Akar, visited the Turkish troops on the border with Iraq on 27 November to inspect the ongoing operations …
Read More »