Turkey's 'Terrorist' Label: A Convenient Smokescreen for Geopolitics in Syria
📰 THE STORY: Daily Sabah, reflecting Ankara's perspective, frames recent events in Syria as the YPG (Kurdish People's Protection Units) losing control due to Syrian 'strategic moves' and a 'change of US policy,' consistently labeling the YPG a 'U.S.-backed terrorist group'. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: The YPG was the primary U.S.-backed ground force that fought ISIS in
Syria, suffering thousands of casualties, while Turkey itself had a complex and often contradictory relationship with various armed groups, some of which were accused of facilitating ISIS, a fact largely ignored by NATO allies. Moreover, the US has a long history of arming and then abandoning proxy forces, from the Contras in Nicaragua (1980s) to the Iraqi Kurds after the Gulf War (1991). Double
Standard: The YPG, largely seen as a secular, democratic, and feminist force by many, is routinely labeled 'terrorist' by Turkey, a NATO member, due to its links to the PKK. Meanwhile, groups like the al-Nusra Front, an al-Qaeda affiliate, were rebranded and often tolerated by Western and regional powers as 'moderate rebels' for years during the Syrian conflict, even receiving arms and support, as
revealed by numerous intelligence reports and investigative journalism over the years. Follow the Money: The shifting allegiances and military actions in northern Syria are deeply tied to control over oil resources and strategic corridors. Turkey's repeated incursions into northern Syria are not solely about 'counter-terrorism' but also about creating a 'buffer zone' that dislodges Kurdish