Original published by defence.ru; translation and analysis by J.Hawk
No decision to launch a land operation has been made; such a strategy has not been seriously discussed within the coalition and several countries oppose it, according to Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.
Saudi authorities announced that they intend to send troops to Syria as part of their struggle against terror, but only if the operation is conducted by a US-led coalition. Riyadh was willing to send several thousand troops in coordination with Turkey. Qatar has also expressed willingness to join the operation.
Turkish government sources say that Ankara does not want to conduct such an operation unilaterally. In a Reuters interview, Cavusoglu said that it would be unrealistic to expect such an operation could be conducted solely by Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar.
J.Hawk’s Comment: So everything hinges on US “boots on the ground” in Syria. If the Obama administration wants to contribute several thousand soldiers of its own, then Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar will jump in with both feet. Otherwise there will be no invasion. The US does not appear particularly eager to get involved on the ground in Syria–even its aerial operation over Syria has been rather lackluster–and moreover Washington knows perfectly well that Ankara’s aims in the region are not the same as its own, and that Moscow is a more dependable negotiating partner whose own interests are actually more compatible with Washington’s…
It does not mean that efforts to get the US involved in Syria will stop. The ongoing “hospital bombing” propaganda campaign aims at doing just that. But it is unlikely to succeed, given the Obama Administration’s aversion to taking responsibility for Syria–which is what US troops in that country would mean.
If the idiot turks attack syria then NATO is not obligated to respond. I think it will be a case of your problem you deal with it.