The reason Türkiye shelled Syrian territory 0
Turkish tanks shelled Kurdish forces in Syria.
On February 13, 2014, the Turkish army began a shelling campaign against the Kurdish Democratic Alliance (PYD) forces in Syria, a move that was assessed to inflame the risk of war, making the war situation worse.
The fact that a NATO member and US ally like Turkey shelled the PYD – a force supported by Washington and considered an outpost in the campaign against IS – proves that Ankara has been cornered and feels secure.
Jean Marcou, a Turkey expert at the Grenoble Institute, said that Ankara has long considered the PYD an extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), an organization that has fought for three decades for its rights. autonomous in the southeastern region and considered terrorist by Türkiye.
During the early stages of the Syrian civil war, there were many signs that Türkiye was willing to cooperate with the PYD and other Kurdish groups if they met three demands: resolutely confronting Mr. seeks autonomy in all its forms and does not seek to threaten Turkey.
However, relations between the two sides quickly deteriorated and reached their lowest point at the end of 2014, when IS fighters besieged the Kurdish town of Kobani on the Turkish border for four months, and tanks
Catherine Goueset, l’Express’s Middle East commentator, assessed that although relations between the two sides have deteriorated, Turkey still seeks to refrain from using force, because Ankara does not want to offend.
However, recently, the PYD has made moves to strengthen its alliance with Russia and expressed its intention to expand its territory towards the Turkish border, making Ankara `restless`.
On February 10, PYD announced the establishment of a representative office in Moscow, marking a new step in the relationship between one side, an ally of President Assad, and one side, once an ally of the US.
The PYD’s move closer to the border threatens Türkiye’s national security.
The rapid advances of the Kurdish forces on the Syrian border have made Turkish officials realize that territorial safety is being threatened more seriously than ever and strong measures are needed, if they do not want to see a war.
According to the Syrian human rights monitoring organization, on the afternoon of February 15, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), whose core is members of the PYD, destroyed many rebel groups backed by Turkey, completely taking control of the city. The strategic town of Tal Rifaat, located between the cities of Aleppo and Azaz on the border with Türkiye.
`Ankara cannot sit idly by and witness ‘terrorist’ forces approaching the border. The bombardment is only the first move, the Turkish army will certainly take stronger measures in Syria. This
Bruno Tertraits, an expert at the Paris Foundation for Strategic Studies, said that it is likely that Ankara received tacit approval from the US when deciding to shell Kurdish forces in Syria.
`US Vice President Joe Biden’s call for Turkey to end its shelling seems to be purely exemplary, because he only emphasized the need for the PYD to stop seizing territory from rebel groups supported by the US and Turkey.
