Major differences between US, Turkey threaten bilateral ties

Turkey’s role in the joint offensive to recapture the Daesh major urban centres of Raqqa and Mosul, in Syria and Iraq respectively, looks uncertain. Key differences between the US, Turkey and Iraq may prevent Turkey from joining the coalition’s operations in these vital cities.

Speaking after the G20 summit earlier this month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan suggested a possible joint operation with the US to take back key Daesh strongholds.

The main obstacle to Turkey’s participation, according to Al-Monitor, is the US alliance in Syria with the People’s Protection Units (YPG), the armed wing of the Democratic Union Party (PYD). Turkey says the Kurdish YPG and PYD are terrorist organisations linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) that it is fighting inside its own borders.

The United States, however, does not see the PYD or YPG as terrorist groups, although it does view the PKK as one, and says it will continue to work with them against Daesh in Syria.

The other obstacle seems to be Baghdad’s insistence that Turkish forces in Iraq be withdrawn, a position supported by Washington. Turkey says that the small force it has deployed to the northern Iraqi town of Bashiqa was at the request of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and in order to train anti-Daesh Peshmerga.

After the success of its military operation to support the anti-Assad Free Syrian Army (FSA) to retake Jarablus at the end of August, Turkey was warned by the US to stay clear of the Syrian Democratic Forces that it backs, largely made up of YPG fighters with a minority of Arab auxiliaries.

The US State Department reiterated during talks with Russia its wishes not to see violent clashes between Turkish and Kurdish forces. An unnamed diplomat is reported to have said that Turkish and US expectations regarding Raqqa were ultimately discordant.

Washington’s inflexibility over the YPG and other groups Turkey deems to be terrorists has been greeted with deep scepticism by the Turks. Retired Turkish General Naim Baburoglu expressed Ankara’s suspicions over US intentions regarding the Kurds in Syria and Iraq in a Turkish online news outlet, Gercek Gundem.

In his column, Baburoglu said: “The basic reason why [Washington] gives importance to the PYD is that it wants a Kurdistan in the north that will be under the tutelage of the United States, and which will be a second Israel for it. The US’ unchanging strategic aim in the Middle East is for a united and independent Kurdistan.”

The retired general’s mistrust of the US over its intentions for the region seems to be prompted by the PKK and associated Kurdish militants reportedly flying the US flag over their facilities.

According to the Anadolu Agency, US flags were displayed at a base belonging to the terrorist PYD and PKK in the Tal Abyad district of the Raqqa governorate in northern Syria.

Meanwhile, Al-Monitor reported that a Western diplomatic source has suggested that Turkey may have overreached in its operations to free Jarablus by declaring that the operation was being carried out against Daesh and the YPG. They have argued that Turkey may have painted itself into another corner in Syria by going after Syrian Kurds, rather than solely targeting Daesh.

This suggests that, while the US encourages the participation of its NATO ally, it is also mindful of Turkey’s ambitions in quelling any potential Kurdish statelet hostile to Ankara across its shared border with Syria.

The straining bilateral ties between the two NATO allies are contrasted by the thawing relations Turkey is currently enjoying with Russia, the main backer of the Assad regime in Syria. Yesterday, a high level military meeting took place in Ankara that brought together the two countries’ chiefs of staff, signalling further coordination with regard to the Syrian crisis.