Iraqi politician says new Turkish offensive on Syria activates extremist groups
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – On Thursday, Iraqi politician Nabil al-Ali said that any Turkish possible attack on northern Syria would help extremist organizations to extend in other areas.
In an exclusive interview with North Press, al-Ali indicated that if Turkey launches a new military operation under the pretext of providing a “safe zone”, this will facilitate the extremist organizations’ attempt to restructure its entity and build its strength again, which puts the region under a real threat.
On May 23, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, “We will soon take new steps regarding the incomplete portions of the project we started on the 30-km deep safe zone we established along our southern border.”
The Turkish safe zone is an area 30-35 km (19-22 miles) deep into Syrian territory that Turkey established in 2019 to settle Syrian refugees from other parts of Syria and to keep the region free from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which it regards as terrorists.
“Turkey is trying to take advantage of the regional and international circumstances following the Russian-Ukrainian war and its repercussions on the international conflict between East and West, to achieve a set of political and security goals,” al-Ali noted.
The political researcher told North Press that the Turkish media is currently focusing on promoting the construction of a safe zone along the Syrian-Turkish border, with a depth of 30 km.
Al-Ali expected that the new Turkish operation will target large major Syrian cities, and it will likely work on undermining the activities of the SDF and its control over the lands adjacent to Turkish territory.
“Turkey, through its new military operation in Syria, is trying to create military integration with its military operations in northern Iraq and the Kurdistan region,” the political researcher concludes.
Turkish forces and their affiliated Syrian National Army (SNA) launched two major military operations in Syria since 2018 and 2019, occupying areas along the border in what it says is a bid to “protect its national security” and its frontier.