“Our boys” are in Syria

TURKEY - In Brief 24 Aug 2016 by Atilla Yesilada

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According to official Turkish sources, a Turkish Joint Expeditionary Task Force and Coalition air craft has initiated the liberation of ISIS-held Syrian town of Jarablus at 04:00 am Wednesday morning. The objective of the mission is to prevent new flows of migration, deliver aid to civilians, clear the area of terrorist elements, according to Anatolian Agency. It was inevitable that a string of mutually-reinforcing errors would force Turkish Army into Syria eventually. Getting in is easy, getting out is not so, in particular given the broad objectives described by AKP. The Jarablus operation was motivated by two developments. First the horrifying suicide bomber attack on a Kurdish wedding in the border town of Gaziantep resulting in 54 casualties blamed on ISIS, taught Ankara that keeping the terror organization at the border is an open invitation to a rising death toll at home, and potentially to a devastating attack on tourism resorts. Secondly, having captured the key city of Manbij in the South Kurdish led Syrian Defense Forces were moving North to conquer Jarablus, as well, which would allow PKK ally PYD-/YPG to complete the Kurdish corridor encircling Turkey from the South. With few venues to withdraw to their last remaining stronghold in Syria (Raqqa) I expect ISIS militants to put up a fierce resistance, which means casualties for Turkish boys and new concerns at home about AKP’s expansionist aims in the region. Military involvement abroad remains highly unpopular with Turks. Nevertheless, with brigades of Turkish led Free Syrian Army joining the fray soon, the new alliance should eventually liberate Jarablus. But, declaring a quick victory and coming home with...