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Turkey ready for incursion into Syria: post-Assad tension rises

As Turkish military preparations on the Syrian border intensify, Kurds urge US intervention to prevent an imminent invasion

The situation on the border between Turkey and Syria is becoming increasingly tense. According to official US sources, the Ankara government and allied militias have reinforced the deployment of military units along the border, raising fears of an imminent Turkish incursion into Syrian territory. The Syrian Kurds, an ally of the US, have appealed to the newly elected President Donald Trump to keep his promise to protect those who have fought alongside the US for security in the region. However, concerns are growing, especially for the city of Kobane, a symbol of Kurdish resistance against Isis, now under Turkish threat.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Turkey, a US ally and Nato member, is massing troops and artillery near Kobane. These movements are reminiscent of those that preceded the Turkish invasion in 2019, when the US decided on a partial withdrawal of troops from the region, thereby facilitating the ceding of large areas of the border to the Turks.

The issue is now the focus of talks between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which are taking place in Ankara. The discussion focuses on post-Assad Syria and the geopolitical dynamics of the entire Middle East.

Meanwhile, Kurdish sources confirmed that Turkish forces are preparing for large-scale action. Ilham Ahmed, a Syrian Kurdish administration official, contacted Trump to urge pressure on Erdogan to avert an invasion that he said would displace over 200,000 people in Kobane alone. In a letter sent to Trump, Ahmed stressed that the Turkish operation would have catastrophic consequences for Kurdish civilians and that the population lives in constant fear of death and destruction.

Last week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Turkey, while Ankara reopened its embassy in Damascus. Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, clashes between Kurdish militias and Turkish-backed forces have intensified, with Ankara regarding the US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) as an extension of the PKK, a terrorist organisation according to the Turkish government.

Trump, speaking about the situation, stated that ‘Turkey has made a hostile takeover, with no loss of life’. However, the prospect of Turkish military intervention in the post-Assad era remains a growing factor of instability for the entire region, with Turkey’s influence set to increase both politically and economically.

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