Alwaght- After Turkish warplanes and tanks carried out an incursion into northern Syria, Ankara’s agenda further unfolded before the eyes of the world with respect to the Syrian crisis. Turkey’s military intervention in northern Syria which witnessed clashes between Turkish forces and Kurdish-backed fighters reveals some of the motives of Erdogan’s administration—this can be analyzed from multiple dimensions:
The Turks have long been working to prevent Kurds from establishing autonomy. That’s why attempts to prevent the formation of a corridor and connecting the Kurds’ regions to northern Syria on the one hand and the Mediterranean Sea on the other have been building up.
Allowing the Kurds to strengthen in northern Syria puts the Turks in a weak position and they have made clear that they will not be lenient when it comes to the Kurds’ aspirations. Crucial to the establishment of Kurdistan and Kurdish independence is free access to water resources. The Turks are keen to do everything in their power to make sure that this element will remain a mirage for the Kurds, in other words, an inaccessible illusion that cannot materialize into reality.
Turkish deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said the main target of Operation Euphrates Shield which was launched by Ankara, was to prevent the establishment of a Kurdish corridor stretching from Iraq to the verge of the Mediterranean Sea.
Kurdish fighters remain west of the Euphrates River which is a key source of water. In order to secure this resource, Kurdish forces could connect Kobane Canton to Afryn Canton. As both the Euphrates and the region of Jarabulus are essential to the acquisition of access to free water, Turkey is battling to keep the Kurds away from these areas. Hence, the military operations in northern Syria was designated “Shield of Euphrates.”
Accordingly, the military intervention openly seeks to obstruct the Kurds’ ambitions in the West of the Euphrates. Water, indeed, is the source of all life even for geopolitical entities. The Turks want to cut off the Kurds’ hopes for water to prevent the birth of an autonomous Kurdistan.
Complementary to this situation, the United States has also demonstrated a multidimensional policy. While the Americans have been cordial to Syria’s Kurds, their promises have not been quite kept. Observers believe that Washington has only wooed the Kurds to serve a self-interest policy, with the minority group being the scapegoat. Although the US has previously claimed to support carving a corridor in northern Syria, it appears that it is not willing to implement this plan anytime soon. After Turkish forces clashed with the Kurds and the US refrained from taking action against the intervention by only issuing a statement of disapproval, these promises seem to be hollow.
Earlier this year, the Turkish army voiced concerns to the top US military figure Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, over attempts to create the corridor in northern Syria and “change the demographic structure of the region to the advantage of Kurds.”
This policy entails that Washington still appease the Kurds. Why? Because if they are kept on their side they may prove to be a useful card in balancing the equations in dealing with Syria, Turkey, Iraq and even Iran considering their strategic location in Syria.
The second dimension and more importantly is that Turkey is trying to achieve its long-standing demands to create a buffer zone in northern Syria.
In May, Turkey reportedly launched a military operation within Syrian territory as part of a plan to establish a buffer zone in Syria.
The Turkish Yeni Safak newspaper claimed the operation aims to push back the Takfiri Daesh terrorists from an area that is 18 kilometers long and 8 kilometers deep in Syria’s Jarablus region. The newspaper said the operation will be supported by the international coalition, particularly the United States and Germany.
While the operation originally kicked off in the Jarabulus area, the Turks are looking to expand the scope of the intervention operations further into Manbij.
Notably, the bulk of the forces participating in the operation known as the Free Syrian Army, Turkmens, and Arabs are coordinated by Ankara. However, the purpose of these operations is to meet the interests of Turkey at the expense of prospects of stability in the region.
