Turkey's 'Offer' to Syria: A Geopolitical Handshake with a Bloody History
Al-Monitor reports Turkey's defence ministry offering 'support' to Syria against Kurdish fighters in Aleppo, with a Turkish diplomat confirming 'intensive' work with Syrian and American officials. The narrative frames this as a new development following failed merger deadlines between Syrian forces and the Kurdish-dominated SDF. Conveniently unmentioned is Turkey's long-standing, often violent,
hostility towards Kurdish self-governance, exemplified by repeated incursions into northern Syria since 2016, including operations 'Euphrates Shield' and 'Olive Branch,' displacing hundreds of thousands of Kurds. The US, a supposed ally of the SDF in the fight against ISIS, has consistently turned a blind eye to—or actively enabled—Turkish actions, trading Kurdish autonomy for NATO expediency.
This 'support' isn't a sudden olive branch; it's the latest iteration of Turkey's documented ambition to crush Kurdish aspirations, a goal shared with Damascus. One might ask if 'intensive work' with American officials is code for 'getting Washington's tacit approval to redraw maps with blood,' effectively sacrificing a proven anti-ISIS ally for Ankara's regional hegemony.