Saudi newspaper: Erdogan retreats in Syria after ingtered to eliminate Kurds

NEWS DESK

The Saudi newspaper "Arab News" devoted a full article by writer Osama Sharif, in which he spoke about Erdogan's retreat in Syria.

There is a sharp contrast between National Security Adviser John Bolton and Donald Trump's recent announcement of the rapid return of US troops from Syria and defeating IS.

During his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Bolton warned Turkey against launching an attack on north Syria without first coordinating with Washington. He also said that the United States would only withdraw troops from Syrian territory once the Pentagon devised an emergency plan to protect US allies fighting there, this means the Syrian Democratic Forces.

Erdogan saw himself as a "victor" after Trump announced his decision to withdraw troops from north Syria during weeks, especially after hearing that Trump would assign the task of eliminating the remnants of ISIS to Turkey. And Turkey would receive military bases where 2,000 US troops are based in north Syria.

"Erdogan is finding himself in a difficult place. He was shocked to see the Russian military police last week enter Manbij, so he found that his plan for a major military attack across the Euphrates to target the People Protection Units (YPG) was once again suspended.

The temporary ice thawing in the Turkish-American relations, which dates back to last October, when the American priest held by Turkey was released, seems to have ended.

The writer said that the Democrats voted in the US House of Representatives last week to pass a spending bill against Turkey that includes a ban on arms sales and sanctions.

"Erdogan saw himself needing to restrain his muscles in Syria for a number of reasons. The sudden US withdrawal would remove major obstacles to Turkey's military expansion east of the Euphrates River and allow Ankara to run a buffer zone along its border with Syria, the thing which would keep the Syrian Kurds in a critical position and prevent them from establishing their autonomous administration, and will give Erdogan freedom to change the demographic composition in north and northeast of Syria.

He added "The Turkish president was hoping to use the US retreat to launch his military offensive against the Kurds in order to boost his party's chances in the main municipal elections to be held at the end of March."

Trump's reluctance to react negatively to his decision to withdraw from Syria and the pressure from lawmakers, senior officials and regional allies has toppled Erdogan's dreams.

The writer asserts that the threats made by Erdogan's top aides that Turkey will not hesitate to launch a military attack, even with the United States, cannot be taken seriously.

The writer believes that there are high risks and cannot ignore the possibility of an argument between the Turkish forces with US and Russian forces and the regime forces.

Heyat Tahrir al-Sham (formely Jabhit al-Nusra) belonging to al-Qaeda branch have increased of Erdogan’s scourges, which has defeated most pro-Ankara mercenaries in Idlib and now is dominating all major highways and areas between Turkey and North Syria.

The collapse of these mercenary gangs organized by Turkey under the banner of the National Liberation Front means that Erdogan has lost the ability to mobilize Syrian mercenary fighters to carry out the task his army is reluctant to carry out in northeastern Syria.

The writer says that the decision of Trump to withdraw from Syria made Syria's Kurds hold negotiations with Damascus, and in turn, the Syrian government was ready to negotiate where the statements of officials of the regime were positive about opening channels of serious dialogue with the Kurds and under the auspices of the Russian Federation.

This is again a serious setback for Erdogan and his agenda in Syria. The attack on the Kurdish areas under the administration of the Syrian government will certainly anger the Russians and the Iranians, Erdogan's partners in the Astana process.

In fact, after the Trump moves, the Turkish president finds himself at odds with Washington, but he is also unable to rely on Moscow for help.

The writer concludes his article by saying that Turkey entered Syria, with the sole aim of eliminating the Kurds, but this purpose is in vain, the most likely option for Ankara now is to play a secondary role in the Syrian crisis in the hope of reducing its losses and booking a place once the political settlement is finally reached.

H/S

ANHA