Why are the flames of Aleppo burning Turkey?
As they continue to suffer defeats, Syrian opposition forces are being pressed back against the Turkish border, signaling yet another nightmare in the making.
![MIDEAST-CRISIS/SYRIA-ALEPPO A rebel fighter stands with his weapon near damaged buildings, and barricades with a Free Syrian Army flag drawn(C), in rebel-held besieged old Aleppo, Syria December 2, 2016. REUTERS/Abdalrhman Ismail - RTSUDX4](/sites/default/files/styles/article_hero_medium/public/almpics/2016/12/RTSUDX4.jpg/RTSUDX4.jpg?h=f7822858&itok=5hOI58C6)
Turkey, which has made Aleppo the key to toppling Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, is gearing up for the worst-case scenario now that the armed opposition groups it has been supporting have suffered a series of setbacks.
The scenario that is emerging is that the defeated groups, which are supported by the West, Turkey and the Gulf states, are being pushed north to the Turkish border. Initially, part of Turkey's design to create a buffer zone in northern Syria was to open up space for victorious armed groups north of Aleppo. Now, everyone is trying to make some sense of Turkey's moves.