Paul Iddon // To fight ISIS the US has to placate Turkey and protect Syria's K

25.11.18

To fight ISIS the US has to placate Turkey and protect Syria's K: Unlike the case in Afrin, the US works closely with the YPG in northeast Syria and has a vested interest in ensuring Turkey does not launch a similar cross-border military campaign there, something that Turkey has recently threatened. Such an action would certainly jeopardize the ongoing U.S.-backed efforts to destroy heavily entrenched ISIS forces in the town of Hajin in Deir ez-Zor. That is why it promptly began military patrols along the Turkish border, on November 1, in a clear bid to deter any further destabilizing attacks.

The Americans then stepped up their efforts to de-escalate the situation.

Less than a week after the US began patrolling south of the Turkish border the US State Department offered multi-million dollar bounties for information on the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) leadership, an apparent attempt to appease Ankara and dissuade it from attacking the YPG.