(Zaman Al Wasl)- The level of American-Turkish tension increased recently following American President Barack Obama supplying the Syrian Democratic Forces with a large shipment of weapons which will enter Syria from Iraq.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hastened to attack the American administration accusing it of supplying the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) with weapons an accusation Washington denies considering it cannot supply a party listed on the terrorist list with weapons.
The American Turkish bickering came in conjunction with Colonel Talal Slo, the official spokesperson for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) making a statement that anti-aircraft weapons will reach the Forces soon. The statement indicated a serious change in the rules of the Turkish-Kurdish conflict in Syria, if the statement is verified.
Supplying the Forces with the specific weapon (carried on the shoulder) will not be for use in the battle for al-Raqqah although the SDF announced in November that the battle for al-Raqqa is entering its second phase. Supplying the Forces with anti-aircraft weapons sends a message to two actors, the first is Turkey as the presence of anti-aircraft weapons will cause Ankara to consider with great detail its moves before opening a front with the Kurds. The weapons also decrease their opportunity to use an aerial operation on the People’s Protection Units locations.
The second actor considered is the al-Assad regime. In August 2016, regime airplanes targeted People Protection Unit locations in al-Hasakah. Following the operation clashes erupted between the Kurdish fighters and the regime fighters in the area, but Russia intervened quickly to solve the crisis. The Forces owning such weapons will cause the regime and Turkey to consider before using their airplanes to target People’s Protection Units held areas. The move reaffirms the cornerstones of the federalism announced by the Autonomous Administration in March-April 2016.
According to an informed source, the United States in the event supplies the Democratic Forces with such weapons will insist that the Forces use them according to strict rules. The source indicated that Washington is able to control the use of such weapons confirming that the aim is to direct a message to the Turkish side to change the way it deals with the American Administration.
In any case, the American Administration of Donald Trump will face a new chapter in the Turkish Kurdish confrontation and the new American mood will define to a large extent Kurdish ambitions. The American attitude will reveal early on the degree of Turkish American harmony in their approach to the Middle East.
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