Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan could be on the brink of engulfing Syria in a new war with his slated invasion of the country’s north in an effort to decimate the United State allied Syrian Kurds who assisted President-elect Trump defeat the Islamic State in 2019.
Fox News reports that pro-Turkey forces and Erdoğan have largely ignored the White House-brokered cease-fire between Turkey and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northern Syria.
The SDF, which has lost 12,000 fighters in its campaign to assist the United States in defeating the Islamic State, is facing an existential crisis.
An SDF source in northern Syria told Fox News Digital that the Syrian Opposition and Syrian National Army, both aligned with Erdoğan’s government, are “building up around Kobani from the east and west”. Assaults on the Tishreen Dam continue intermittently.
SDF confronted them and repeatedly pushed them back. In addition, Turkish armed drones and artillery are constantly targeting the Kobani frontlines. There is no support from any nation. Just the United States assisting with mediation between us and the Turks aims to achieve a permanent cease-fire.”
A source close to the SDF said, “The main attackers are called SNA, which constitute the Al Hamza division and Sultan Suliman Shah division, who are loyal to the Turkish MHP party leader Dewlet Bahçelî.” Erdoğan is affiliated with the extremist Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).
Simone Ledeen, a former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East, told Fox News Digital, “The US must reinforce support for the SDF — using all available tools to ensure they remain capable on the ground — while dealing with the reality that Turkey, our NATO ally, is enabling a rapidly expanding jihadist threat.”
When approached by Fox News Digital, a US State Department spokesperson stated, “Syria is currently in a fragile state. We do not want any party to take action that prioritizes their own unilateral interests over the larger interests of the Syrian people.
We continue to discuss a path forward with the Turkish government and others in the region that de-escalates rather than escalates tensions. This is a time to strengthen stability rather than devolve into conflict.”
The spokesperson added, “Our priority is to promote a Syrian-led political process in accordance with U.N. Security Council resolution 2254, while also ensuring ISIS’s long-term defeat.
Given that we know ISIS exploits instability, all countries with influence on the ground — including Turkey — must promote stability, dialogue, and restraint. “The United States supports Syria’s territorial integrity.”
The Biden administration’s failure to curb Erdoğan’s aggression may result in the escape of 10,000 Islamic State terrorists from SDF-run prisons. The SDF has had to redeploy its forces to counter Turkey’s campaign to depopulate northern Syria with SDF fighters.
Counter-terrorism experts warn that the reemergence of the Islamic State in Syria could have a negative impact on American security.
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., told Erdoğan in Congress to “leave the Kurds alone.” He stated, “The Kurds are America’s friends…”. The Kurds were the people most responsible for helping us and destroying ISIS.”
Kennedy warned Erdoğan, “If you invade Syria and touch a hair on the head of the Kurds, I’m going to ask this United States Congress to do something,” noting, “Our sanctions are not going to help the economy of Turkey.”
Turkey’s economy is unstable, and US economic sanctions could destabilize Erdoğan’s government.
When asked about reports of Turkish-aligned forces attacking Syrian Kurds, a spokesman for Turkey’s Foreign Ministry told Fox News Digital: “The mentioned reports are baseless. Türkiye has never had a problem with Syrian Kurds; in fact, it has welcomed and supported their integration into a unified Syria.
There should be a clear distinction between Syrian Kurds and those associated with terrorist organizations.
The spokesman added, “Türkiye’s ongoing dedication and sacrifices in the fight against Daesh (ISIS) should not be overlooked. At the end of the day, Turkey remains the region’s most credible and capable actor in the fight against Daesh.
The Turkish government refers to the Sunni Jihadi terrorist movement as Daesh, which is a transliteration of the Arabic acronym Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
When confronted with the SDF statement that the U.S.-led mediation efforts collapsed because Turkey refused to accept key points, “including the transfer of remaining Manbij Military Council fighters and civilians wishing to move to safer areas within north and eastern Syria, as well as the resolution of the issue concerning the transfer of Suleiman Shah’s remains to their former location,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman said, “It is not Türkiye escalating the sit
He added, “The Syrian people, empowered by the confidence gained from overthrowing the Ba’ath regime, are striving to expel the PKK/YPG/’SDF’ terrorist organization, which has long occupied their territories and subjected them to violence and oppression.
They have successfully removed the organization from Manbij and Deir ez-Zor, and are on the verge of doing so in Raqqa. At the end of the day, this is merely the reflection of the will of the Syrian people.”
PKK is an abbreviation for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, an organization classified by the U.S. and the EU as a terrorist entity.
The U.S. has a long-standing military alliance with the Syrian Kurdish military organization, The People’s Defense Units (YPG), in Syria. The YPG is part of a broader organization known as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and played a key role in dismantling the Islamic State in Syria.
In a growing act of bi-partisan congressional support for the Syrian Kurds, lawmakers are sending messages to the Biden administration and the incoming Trump administration.
Reuters reported on Friday that Sens. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., introduced the “Countering Turkish Aggression Act of 2024” in the hope the sanctions threat would move the parties toward a cease-fire.
But they said Washington should work with Turkey diplomatically to facilitate a sustained ceasefire and demilitarized zone between Turkey and Syria, the Reuters report stated.
Fox News Digital’s requests for comment to President-elect Trump’s spokespeople and his incoming National Security Council adviser, Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., were not immediately returned.
Shukriya Bradost, an expert on the Kurds who was born and raised in Iran’s Kurdistan region, told Fox News Digital that Turkey’s most pragmatic option is to engage in dialogue with the Kurdish administration in Syria, which will be facilitated by the US.
A cooperative relationship could benefit both Turkish and Kurdish interests by stabilizing the region while also addressing Turkey’s security concerns and leveraging Turkey’s existing experience with the Kurdistan Region of Government in Iraq (KRG).
She added, “Turkey has already demonstrated that it can work with a Kurdish administration in Syria. Previously, oil from northern Syria flowed through the KRG into Turkey, demonstrating the potential for economic and political cooperation.
This precedent demonstrates that mutual interests can overcome historical hostilities.”
Bradost suggested that Washington “broker a historic agreement that addresses Turkey’s security concerns while preserving Kurdish autonomy in Syria.” A deal between Turkey and the Syrian Kurds facilitated by the United States, similar to the Abraham Accords, could provide a transformative path forward.
Barbara Leaf, the State Department’s top Middle East diplomat, met with representatives of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a terrorist organization designated by the United States, in Damascus on Friday. HTS and its Islamist allies toppled Syrian dictator Bashar Assad’s regime less than two weeks ago.
After the meeting, Leaf told reporters that there is a cease-fire around Manbij, but there are concerns about “the effects of fighting near the Tishreen Dam and damage to that dam, especially if it were significant structural damage.”
She also stated that the US is working with Turkish authorities and the SDF to establish a cease-fire around Kobani.
