Despite threats that were voiced by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, experts believe that Turkey is not likely to conduct further military operations in Syria regardless of the continuing friction between Turkish security forces and Kurdish militants in the northern region of the war-torn-country. Turkey has recently been active in Syria’s eastern region along the Euphrates River, with the Kurdish militias the U.S. military launching joint patrols in northern Syria since the beginning of this month. While Turkey previously shelled an area controlled by the Kurdish-led “Syrian Democratic Force” in October, analysts believe that Ankara is unlikely to take on increased military action in the near future, to avoid errant fire on American troops. “The United States and the Syrian Democratic Army began joint patrols on Nov 4 in northeastern Syria. The operation is to send a signal to Turkey that if the Turkish army attacks the region, it is likely to cause U.S. casualties, and Turkey will be responsible if this is the case,” Hmaidi Alabdullah, Mideast Analyst.
In response to the shelling by the Turkish army, the Syrian Democratic Force announced on the 31st of October that it would suspend the fight against the Islamic State in the Deir Ezzor Governorate and shift its forces toward Turkey. The move is viewed as an attempt to exert pressure on the United States, as the Kurdish armed forces have always been an important ally of the United States in Syria. “Since the outbreak of the Syrian crisis, Kurdish armed forces have been the only main ally of the United States on the ground battlefield. The battle of Kobane (in 2014) was an example of cooperation between the two sides. The U.S. has no plan to give up the Kurdish armed forces yet,” Hmaidi Alabdullah, Mideast Analyst.
While Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would discuss the challenges posed to his country from Syria, during the Paris summit with his American counterpart Donald Trump – not details have emerged on the matter, as of yet.