Many observers believe that Turkey is an overt pawn of the United States and NATO in the developments in Syria. Meanwhile, some also emphasize, while accepting this view, that Turkey is also engaging in some unilateral actions.
In this regard, Foreign Policy, in a report by Sinan Ciddi, a senior researcher on Turkish affairs at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), referred to the Turkish government's support for the armed opposition, led by the terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which has dominated Syria, stating that Turkey's actions demonstrate excessive confidence among Turkish officials and may pose the risk of increased instability in the region.
Sinan Ciddi said in the report, referring to the rapid progress of developments, that it seems Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is seeking to dominate Syria's political future.
The analyst also said in a recent article published on the US-based analytical website 1945 that even the phrase "playing with fire" is not enough to describe Erdogan's actions in Syria, and these actions should deeply concern the new US administration of Donald Trump, as Erdogan likely intends to introduce Turkey as part of the solution to Syria's problems, which could lead to increased instability in the region.
Turkey's support for the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham terrorist group
According to the report, it appears that Ankara is preparing Hayat Tahrir al-Sham to take power in Syria. Turkey presents this group as an organization that can create a bureaucratic government, establish order and law, and serve the Syrian people, who have a high population diversity. That's why Ankara, as a member of the NATO coalition, has proposed providing military support to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.
In the opinion of this analyst, Erdogan wants to control Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, and shape the group's mechanisms in line with his views to achieve his ultimate goal of destroying the Kurdish autonomous region in northern Syria.
This region of Syria is under the control of the Democratic Union Party and the Syrian Democratic Forces, known as the SDF, a military group backed by the United States, which Ankara considers a serious threat to itself.
Domestic goals
Sinan Ciddi says Erdogan's goal of increasing pressure on the Kurds is actually to divert the attention of Turkish citizens from his government's economic failures. Reports indicate that Turkey currently has between 16,000 and 18,000 armed forces in Syria and is mobilizing forces along the border near Kobani (Ayn al-Arab) to eliminate the control of the Democratic Union Party and the SDF.
Ciddi finally
emphasized, referring to Erdogan's excessive confidence, that his
aggressive strategy poses great dangers, not only for Syria but for the
entire region. Ignoring these dangers could lead to long-term
consequences that would be irreversible.
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