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What is Turkey’s military strategy in Syria?

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's recent statement once again revealed that Ankara's priority in Syria is not fighting against the Islamic State, but rather stopping Kurds' advances.
Turkish armoured personnel carriers drive towards the border in Karkamis on the Turkish-Syrian border in the southeastern Gaziantep province, Turkey, August 27, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas  - RTX2N8HX
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Flying back from New York, where he addressed the UN General Assembly's annual meeting, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters on his plane that Turkey would participate in a US-led operation against the Islamic State (IS) stronghold of Raqqa, provided Syrian Kurdish fighters from the People's Protection Units (YPG) are not involved in it.

His remarks revealed once again that stopping advances in Syria by the YPG — whose fighters form the bulk of the US-supported Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) — remains Ankara’s main priority.

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