Moscow taking over fight against ISIS from U.S.
In taking over the fight in Syria against ISIS from the United States, the Russians are allying themselves with the Syrian Kurds, who constitute most of the ground forces against ISIS, according to a report from Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin.
But the move also exacerbates already prickly relations between the Kremlin and Turkey.
While Turkey has continued to help ISIS facilitate the movement of recruits and supplies into Syria, Ankara has agreed to aid the United States in going after ISIS in Syria in exchange for Washington’s use of its Incirlik Airbase.
Once the Turks began their own bombing runs into Syria, however, they used the new access as an opportunity to go after Kurdish positions inside Syria instead, attacking many of the ground forces who are fighting ISIS.
The U.S. has not criticized Turkey for that action.
Moscow now is planning to provide direct military assistance to the Kurds, who are comprised mainly of the Yekineyen Parastine Gel, or YPG, the Kurdish People’s Defense Units.
The YPG’s leader is Salih Muslim Asya Abdullah, who also leads the Democratic Union Party – the Partiya Yekitiya Demokrat, or PYD.
Go to Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin to get the rest of this, and other, reports.
The PYD is the Syrian branch of Kurdistan Worker Party, or PKK, which is outlawed in Turkey and is on the U.S. terrorist list. The PYD and its fighting unit, the YPG, however, are not.
Nevertheless, Ankara still regards the PYD and the YPG as terrorists, directly supporting Kurdish fighters in Turkey who have been fighting against government forces.
Welcoming Russian intervention
A Kurdish official who spoke to G2 Bulletin said that if the open conflict between the government of Turkey and its 20 million Kurds continues much longer, a civil war could result.
“The Kurds welcome whatever assistance they can get,” said the Kurdish official, who asked not to be identified for security reasons.
At the same time, he said, the U.S. just dropped 120 tons of weapons to the YPG.
The Syrian Kurds are “happy with the shift of policy toward helping the YPG,” the Kurdish official said.
His comment was in reference to the Turks’ stipulation that the U.S. not help the Syrian Kurds directly, especially from Turkey’s Incirlik Airbase. The U.S. previously was providing some airstrike support.
Russian assistance, however, appears to be more significant.
Salih Muslim, leader of the PYD, told the Turkish newspaper Amberin Zaman that his group welcomes Russian intervention in Syria.
“We will fight alongside whoever fights Daesh (ISIS),” he said.
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