Alwaght- The Turkish government in late August this year deployed forces to northern Syria, pledging to liberate Al-Bab town and then make advances toward Manbij town. But after four months, it appears that the Turkish plans in Syrias north, like their previous plots, are reaching a full impasse.
In late November, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed that the Ankara-backed rebels of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) progressed to the gates of Al-Bab and their success in the town was certain. The Turkish president also maintained that this development was not enough and the FSA forces under cover of Turkey will move ahead toward Manbij.
The (Kurdish) Peoples Protection Units (YPG) and the Democratic Union Party (PYD) are present in Manbij. We ask them to leave the town, added Erdogan.
However, the Turkish media recently reported that the government of Turkey has lately slowed down advances of the Turkish forces in Manbij. Turkish media suggested that Erdogan's decision was result of vigorous resistance of the ISIS terrorist group around the city. But the observers have another account for his decision, saying that it was influenced on the one hand by the serious warnings of the Syrian government to Ankara and on the other hand the US tacit opposition to the progress of the Turkish forces toward the northern Syrian town.
Manbij lies at the eastern coast of the Euphrates River, and the US-backed Kurdish forces in early August this year managed to take the town back from ISIS after they crossed the eastern Euphrates and sustained heavy tolls. Turkey announced presence of the Kurdish forces in the town as a red line for Ankara. Ankara does not want the Kurds to cross the Euphrates River and boost their position along the southern Turkish borders.
The Turkish military operation in northern Syria started in late August. It was ostensibly launched to battle the ISIS terrorists; however, in practice it aimed at preventing establishment of an autonomous Kurdistan region in northern Syria. To this end, Turkey needed to seize control of the Al-Bab town from ISIS and then press ahead toward Manbij east of Al-Bab.
But Turkey got acquainted with its limitations when a number of its troops were killed in an airstrike near Al-Bab. While Russia rejected any involvement in the incident, the Syrian government suspiciously declined to comment. On the other side, we should not forget that this air raid came exactly on the first anniversary of shooting down a Russian SU-24 bomber by the Turkish fighter jets, suggesting that Russians may have taken revenge on the Turks.
On the other side, following recent developments of the Syrian governments forces and their allies in Aleppo, the Syrian military sources told the media that the Syrian army was determined to liberate Al-Bab from the terrorists. The military sources added that liberation of Al-Bab will immediately follow end of the armys operations in eastern Aleppo areas.
While the advances of the Turkey-backed forces in Al-Bab have reached a deadlock due to serious warnings by Damascus and its allies, it seems that rifts between Ankara and Washington over the Kurdish issue have challenged the Turkish scheme for moving toward Manbij. The news outlets noted that after Turkish airstrikes against the Kurdish forces camping around Manbij, the US had cut off its air cover for the pro-Ankara forces in northern Syria.
These developments pushed the Turkish military experts to describe their countrys military campaign in Al-Bab as a failed operation.
Russia demands Turkey to keep away from Al-Bab, and the US wants it to keep away from Manbij, so the Ankara military plans in Syria are facing a great trouble. All in all, Turkey not only faces ISIS and the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units in Syria but Russia and the US, Naim Baburoglu, retired general of Turkey army told Al-Monitor.
Many people believe that Erdogan does not known with who he is facing, as he is just making unviable promises to appease his loyalists, according to the Turkish army general.
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