Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 20
By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:
President Donald Trump’s statement about the US withdrawal of troops from Syria’s northern regions was perceived as a real victory amid the preparation for a new military operation by the Turkish Armed Forces in Syria against PYD/YPG, a Syrian wing of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
A number of Turkish political analysts perceived the US decision as a result of Turkey’s political pressure on Washington.
Of course, the withdrawal of the US military contingent from northern Syria will simplify the operations of the Turkish Armed Forces in the fight against the PYD/YPG terrorists, but it is early to make success reports.
The withdrawal of the US military from Syria does not mean that the US will take away the weapons that once were given to the PYD/YPG fighters.
Earlier, the US authorities have repeatedly promised Ankara that as soon as the fight against "Islamic State" (IS) terrorists ends, the Americans will take away their weapons from PYD/YPG. Ankara has always been suspicious of that.
There is a probability that even if the US withdraws its troops from Syria’s northern regions, Washington will not keep its promises regarding taking away weapons from the PYD/YPG militants.
It is quite obvious that it would be extremely thoughtless to believe that the US would simply leave Syria, which was planned to be used as a springboard against Iran, especially taking into account the fact that the withdrawal of the US military will unambiguously strengthen the positions of Turkey, Iran and Russia in the region, which directly contradicts Washington’s interests.
As is known, terrorist organizations have always been puppets in the hands of a number of countries and from time to time their masters change.
Presently, PYD/YPG is a real force in northern Syria. Here a question arises. Who will be the master of the Kurdish terrorists after the withdrawal of the US military from the region?
Presently, the US military bases are located in 10 settlements in northern Syria. No exact date for the withdrawal of troops has been determined.
Moreover, presently, the French military contingent, despite its small number, is still in northern Syria.
Taking into account all the abovementioned facts, it is possible to say that the statements voiced in Washington about withdrawal of the US contingent from Syria’s northern regions may be another US attempt to delay the beginning of the military operation of the Turkish Armed Forces in northern Syria, by forcing Ankara to wait for the withdrawal of troops.
---
Rufiz Hafizoglu, deputy editor-in-chief of Trend
Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu