| Author (Person) | Barnes-Dacey, Julien |
|---|---|
| Publisher | European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) |
| Series Title | Commentary |
| Series Details | 25.08.16 |
| Publication Date | 25/08/2016 |
| Content Type | Journal | Series | Blog, News |
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Turkey’s military intervention into northern Syria in late August 2016, helping rebels seize the town of Jarabulus from ISIS, represented Ankara’s boldest move in the longstanding Syrian conflict. The official motivation was said to be to back Syrian rebels’ bid to clear the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) from territories bordering Turkey, although it was assumed that Turkey also wanted to weaken Syrian Kurdish forces as well and prevent any form of Kurdish state entity being formed in Syria. As ever it was hard to know whether, in the context of the broader civil war, this dramatic step was a prelude to an ever-deepening morass or an opening for a political track. It was clear, though, that Kurdish ambitions would now be stymied as various players, including the United States, looked to trade them in for Turkish support. Kurdish media sources suggested that there had been secret negotiations between Turkish officials and the Assad regime. |
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| Source Link | Link to Main Source http://www.ecfr.eu/article/commentary_turkey_joins_the_fray_what_the_turkish_invasion_means_7103 |
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| Countries / Regions | Europe, Middle East, Turkey |
