Moscow and Damascus Knew about Forthcoming Turkish Operation in Syria

The Turkish authorities try to prevent strengthening of Kurds and formation of a Kurdish zone along the Syrian-Turkish border.

Photo: Sputnik / Alexei Druzhinin

Moscow and Damascus have been informed of a forthcoming Turkish operation against the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group in the Syrian town of Jarablus, the Izvestiya newspaper reported, citing a source close to the Syrian government.

“If the operation was a surprise for the official Syrian authorities, Ankara would very quickly face with a sharp reaction of the Syrian and the Russian sides, but not with statements that do not even include the word ‘aggression’. Yes, Moscow and Damascus knew about the forthcoming operation,” the source noted.

The military operation of the Turkish Armed Forces in Syria could not be begun without preliminary consultations between Ankara and Moscow, so Russia also knew about the impending operation. The newspaper’s source in the Russian Foreign Ministry did not deny this information.

“Any fight against the terrorist threat in the region is now more relevant than ever. Its effectiveness also depends on interaction with Damascus. Such a fight must be conducted on a legal basis and in coordination with the official Syrian authorities,” the source added.

Meanwhile, the newspaper’s source in Syrian diplomatic circles noted that the reason for entering Turkish troops in Jarablus is not only a fight with the IS, but also opposition to strengthening of Kurds, provoking by the US.

Earlier, it was reported that units of the Turkish Special Forces entered the Syrian border town of Jarablus, which was left by the main part of the terrorists before the Turkish offense. Prior to entering of the troops, the town was shelled by Turkish tanks and aircraft. Reportedly, heavy military equipment also crossed the border with Syria.

According to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ankara intends to do away with terrorists.

“We launched the operation against the IS in northern Syria at 4 am to end its threat,” Erdogan said.

It is noteworthy that the Turkish Army’s actions against terrorists provoked a strong reaction on the part of representatives of Syrian Kurds. So, leader of the Syrian Kurdish party ‘Democratic Alliance’, Salih Muslim, has already predicted the defeat of Turks.

“Turkey got into the Syrian swamp. It will lose as the IS,” Reuters quoted his words.

According an orientalist and former diplomat Vyacheslav Matuzov, there is nothing surprising in such a reaction. He noted that Kurds, supported by the US, began to represent a great danger for the unity of Syria. Kurd’s advancing to the west and reunion “with an enclave, formed around a city Afrin,” would create a separation zone between Turkey and Syria. After this, Kurds could start to fight a corridor to the Mediterranean Sea. In the case of success, creation of a Kurdish state would be only a matter of the adoption of a strong-willed solution. And clashes between the pro-Syrian militias and Kurds in the city of Al-Hasaka in recent days show readiness of the US to push its protege to the most radical scenarios. “Such prospects open a way for Turkey, trying to help its neighbor to save the territorial integrity,” the expert concluded.

Syrian political analyst Naovaf Ibrahim noted that most likely the US leads Syrian Kurds up the garden, promising them creation of their own state. However, they make up a relatively small part of the population of the north Syria. For this reason, an announcement of the state creation would cause opposition of other nationalities, as well as protests of Damascus, Ankara, Baghdad and Teheran. Despite this, Kurds continue their actions. The expert added that he has big doubts that the Turkish operation in Jarablus aimed to normalize contacts with Syria. “However, our countries’ attitude to the Kurd’s issue is the same in many ways,” Ibrahim noted.