Turkey confirms shelling Kurdish fighters in Syria

[MowCowWhoHow III]

Source: BBC

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has confirmed that the Turkish military has attacked Kurdish fighters in northern Syria.

The Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) said Turkey shot at its forces in the town of Tal Abyad on Sunday.

The YPG has been a key ally of the US in fighting the so-called Islamic State (IS) group in Syria.

Turkey fears advances by the YPG near its Syrian border could fuel separatist sentiments amongst Kurds in Turkey.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-34645462

[leftyladyfrommo]

1. Hell. Everybody is bombing everybody

over there. It's just a free for all.

[David__77]

2. The Turkish PM does not want the PYD/YPG to seize Islamic State-held territory along its border.

From the article:

"We said the [YPG-aligned Democratic Union Party] PYD will not go west of the Euphrates and that we would hit it the moment it did," Mr Davutoglu told Turkish ATV television late Monday.

This is a map of the area:



I believe that the area the Kurds claim was struck by Turkey, Tal Abyad, is to the right on this map - here called Tell Abyad. The Euphates River is to the west of that at Jarabulus.

The yellow dots are intended to show Kurd-held territory; the black ones are intended to show Islamic State-held territory (red = government, grey = Nusra, green = other forces in opposition to the government, and multi-colored = mixed control). For reference see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cities_and_towns_during_the_Syrian_Civil_War.

What I find striking is that Islamic State controls the area to the west of the Euphrates.

Again, the Turkish PM is quoted as saying: "...PYD will not go west of the Euphrates and that we would hit it the moment it did."

I understand that the Turkish government may find that the PYD holding this territory is a greater national security threat than Islamic State holding this territory; I also think that United States government may have a different position.

[TwilightGardener]

3. Oh good. These are the guys who received the 50 tons ammo we dropped.

Good work, everyone. We supply 'em, Turkey kills them.

[bemildred]

4. Erdogan wants war. nt

[atreides1]

5. Yes he does

And then he'll get NATO to kill the Kurds for him!!!

[bemildred]

6. It's his last hope!

Emergency powers, martial law, and a rigged election.

[David__77]

7. More background on this.

See: http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/what-turkey-could-lose-and-gain-from-a-military-operation-in-syria

Excerpt: "The PYD is linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which Turkey fought for decades until entering peace talks with the group in 2012. The PYD has controlled three isolated enclaves in Syria for some time: Afrin in the northwest, Kobane in the north-central region, and Jazeera in the northeast. In May -- with the help of U.S. airstrikes -- the group seized a nearly sixty-mile stretch of ISIS territory between the Jazeera and Kobane enclaves, effectively establishing a 250-mile-long PYD-controlled zone. Ankara now fears that the group may decide to link all three of its enclaves by moving further west and capturing territory between Azaz and Jarabulus."

While I think some may have the sense that Turkish plans to intervene may have been effectively countered by Russia's intervention, I don't know that to be true. I certainly can imagine Turkey still intervening.