Turkey fears forced demographic change in Raqqa

Turkey yesterday warned the United States not to allow demographic changes in the Syrian city of Raqqa after Kurdish-Arab forces launched a US-backed operation to re-capture the Daesh stronghold.

Turkish forces have been conspicuously absent from the operation, even though they have taken part in a number of incursions in Syria in support of pro-Ankara Syrian opposition groups against Daesh.

Turkey had previously expressed concerns that the Kurdish-Arab Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) leading the offensive was dominated by the Kurdish Peoples’ Protection Units (YPG).

It considers the YPG to be an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) which has waged an insurgency against Ankara for more than three decades. Turkey has said it would stay out of any operation involving the YPG.

Turkey fears an influx of Kurds to Raqqa will change the ethnic composition of the Arab-majority area close to its border.

Following the launch of the Raqqa offensive on Sunday, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Joseph Dunford, visited Ankara for previously unannounced talks with his Turkish counterpart.

Brett McGurk, the US envoy for the coalition battling the Daesh, said the visit was to keep “close contact with our Turkish allies” over the offensive.

Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey, Numan Kurtulmus, said “legitimacy” after the eventual ousting of Daesh was a key issue for the United States in Mosul and Raqqa.

“Legitimacy is not provided by armed terrorist groups. I think in the end the United States will have to understand this. Every step taken by non-Arab elements is not in the interests of the United States.”