ISTANBUL—Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is planning a military intervention into northern Syria to prevent Syrian Kurds from forming their own state there, despite concerns among his own generals and possible criticism from Washington and other NATO allies, according to reports in both pro- and anti-government media.
In a speech last Friday, Erdogan vowed that Turkey would not accept a move by Syrian Kurds to set up their own state in Syria following gains by Kurdish fighters against the so-called Islamic State, or ISIS, in recent weeks. “I am saying this to the whole world: We will never allow the establishment of a state on our southern border in the north of Syria,” Erdogan said. “We will continue our fight in that respect whatever the cost may be.” He accused Syrian Kurds of ethnic cleansing in Syrian areas under their control.
Following the speech, several news outlets reported that the president and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu had decided to send the Turkish army into Syria, a hugely significant move by NATO’s second biggest fighting force after the U.S. military. Both the daily Yeni Safak, a mouthpiece of the government, and the newspaper Sozcu, which is among Erdogan’s fiercest critics, ran stories saying the Turkish Army had received orders to send soldiers over the border. Several other media had similar stories, all quoting unnamed sources in Ankara. There has been no official confirmation or denial by the government.
The government refused to comment on the reports. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said “the necessary statement” would be issued after a regular meeting of the National Security Council, which comprises the president, the government and military leaders, this Tuesday.
The reports said up to 18,000 soldiers would be deployed to take over and hold a strip of territory up to 30 kilometers deep and 100 kilometers long that currently is held by ISIS. It stretches from close to the Kurdish-controlled city of Kobani in the east to an area further west held by the pro-Western Free Syrian Army (FSA) and other rebel groups, beginning around the town of Mare. This “Mare Line,” as the press calls it, is to be secured with ground troops, artillery and air cover, the reports said. Yeni Safak reported preparations were due to be finalized by next Friday.
Well lather me in oil and stick your hands down my pants. Erdogan has made yet another patented "Best Idea Ever". This time, 18,000 Turkish troops are going into Syria to put a stop to the advances of one of the many factions fighting in Syria. But is he going to go after the genocidal religious fanatics that have shocked humanity with their utterly depraved barbarity? Nope. He's going after the Kurds, who have been literally fighting for their lives.
Just what the living fuck does Erdogan think he's going to achieve from this? By severely weakening the Kurds, he's basically enabling ISIS to do what they do best: kill fuckloads of people at once. Way to go Erdogan. Wouldn't be the first time Turkey's been complacent in genocide. But really, I shouldn't be surprised at this. It's pretty damned obvious the current Turkish government has been enabling the rise of extremist factions in Syria and even aiding them by providing them with weapons and ammunition, as well as a safe way to get jihadis from Europe into the Middle East.
So, what do we think of Erdogan's latest shenanigans, NSG?
Mod Edit: Changed the title because "kebab" memes are too close to trolling ...
