US move to protect YPG could push Turkey into Russia's arms
US special forces have deployed along Syrian border to deter Turkey from further attacks against Syrian Kurdish forces but the United States has no sway over Russian-dominated northwestern Syria, prompting conjecture about a possible Russian-Turkish deal for Idlib.
The deployment of US special forces along the Syrian border in a bid to deter Turkey from carrying out further attacks against their Syrian Kurdish allies has done little to melt Turkish resolve. Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he was “seriously saddened” by the images of US military convoys with the American flag accompanied by members of the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) but that Turkey will continue its fight against the “terrorists.”
In separate comments ahead of an official trip to India that kicked off today, Erdogan declared, “I could come unexpectedly, at any time.”
The lyrics borrowed from a classic Turkish love song are not taken lightly by the YPG, which is still reeling from a wave of Turkish airstrikes on April 25 that targeted Mount Karachok near the town of Derik and left 25 militants dead.
The attacks were not coordinated with the US-led coalition, which the Turkish military gave only 52 minutes' notice to get its forces out of harm’s way. The unilateral move provoked deep anger among administration officials and prompted the US military to deploy along the border in an unprecedented show of solidarity with the YPG.
