A Bayraktar Akıncı combat drone. Source: the Turkish Ministry of National Defense.
CIA director Bill Burns gave his Turkish counterpart a strongly worded message opposing the recent Turkish air and artillery strikes on the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northern Syria, Axios reported on December 8, citing two American sources with knowledge of the issue.
According to the sources, Burns warned that Turkey’s repeated strikes on northern Syria put United States forces there in danger.
Turkey launched an operation against Kurdish forces in Syria and Iraq, codenamed Claw-Sword, on November 20 in response to the November 13 bombing in Istanbul. Ankara believes that the core faction of the U.S.-backed SDF, the People’s Protection Units, was involved in terrorist attack that claimed the lives of six people and wounded 80 others. So far, the operation has been limited to air and artillery strikes.
Axios said that several of the strikes, which endangered American forces in northern Syria, were conducted by the Turkish intelligence service using drones.
Senior Turkish officials, including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, warned that Operation Claw-Sword could soon morph into a ground offensive against the SDF in northern Syria. However, a recent decline in Turkish strikes on the region indicates that Ankara has put these plans on halt.
In a recent interview with the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, SDF leader Ferhat Abdi Şahin said that pressure from the U.S. and Russia has prevented Turkey from launching a new invasion into northern Syria.
Turkey launched three invasions into northern Syria in 2016, 2018 and 2019, all of which failed to address its security concerns.
With the U.S. and Russia opposing a Turkish ground offensive against the SDF, Ankara is now exploring rapprochement with Damascus as another way to secure its border with Syria. Work to arrange a meeting between President Erdogan and his Syrian counterpart, Bashar al-Assad, is reportedly underway with help from Russia.
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wait so turkey and Syria reestablish ties would this not force US forces to leave northern syria?
The US won’t. The USA needs a secure place around Israel to send them weapons like they did in 2006 against Hezbollah. USA didn’t have bases like that in 06, now with bases it’ll be much easier and quicker for USA send cargo to Israel, after they survive the thousands of MANPADS and Bavar systems 😉
Syria said they would talk with the Turkish government after 2023 Turkish presidential election. But we all can say that Kurdish gangs seeing the end of their time. Russia, Iran, Turkey, Iraq and Syria are all focusing on Kurdish gangs/terrorists.
The head of CIA is trying to protect their terrorist groups.
Russia, Syria and Iraq don’t fight against these Kurdish groups though.
It most certainly will,maybe if burns family lifes were threatened its nose be outta joint obviously. This is Syrian and turkish lands,not israels or usas,so in a nutshell usa must go,or else begone for good!
MERDolfgan and ITS UNHUMAN GENOCIDAL OGRES, THE HEAD OF ITS JIHADI-CHIHUAHUAS, ON THE RUNS AGAIN, DIRTY AND CRYING ON A TOILET … WEEP THOSE STUFFS AWAY AND MIDDLE EAST WILL BE AGAIN A PARADISE!
IT.. still talking? bravo 👏
Those STUFFS , MERDolfgan OGRES, KILLED ITS SAME STUFFS WITH A FALSE FLAG BOMB ONLY TO BLAME ON THE ONES THAT ARE F****ING THE OGRES BESIDES CHEMICAL, PROHIBITED WEAPONS AND THE USE OF ITS PUPPETS, JIHADI AL QAEDA AND ISIL. HOW APPALLING STUFFS! EXTERMINATE GENOCIDALS AND FREE THE LANDS ITs (plural of ‘IT’ FOR THOSE OGRES) OFFEND THROUGH ITS EXISTENCE AND WORLD WILL BE A BETTER PLACE!
It …. speedy Gonzales it
… at the very end, as always, MERDolfgan morphed in a pig!
Turkey should kill all of them, by mistake.
CIA director?! What quality does it have in the International arena, appart from supporting terrorism? Certainly US military does not belong to CIA, CIA is the private army of the president which is a puppet of the Deep State.
Since the USofT is going to supply Turkey with “new” F-16’s this is just small talk among terrorists.
While Greece gets the F-35, Turkey is getting the old crap. That must not feel good in the turkish anus
More reason to kill all the Kurdish gangs – I don’t care who dose it.
The head of CIA saying don’t fuk with our terrorist groups that we need in the Middle East (that is a fuking red flag). The main thing is that the US government as whole isn’t on with CIA plans for Kurdish gangs, (remember Trump).
But what Kurdish gangs are you talking about because some Kurdish islamists and KRG support Erdogan mostly.
A talk to talk. They won’t do anything real, I mean Americans. Just condemning, etc. Destabilising the region that is theirs plan, and Turkay does just that. Period.
“Your friends put some bombs in the center of Ankara, you might be sorry but our friends can also put bombs where they want.” is what the Turks are saying. Bill don’t understand. Bill is a failure.
The Kurds are the USadmin’s new bitch. The Kurds think that the US is helping them now because they abandoned them after the first US/nato attack on Iraq. They couldn’t be more wrong. The US want a Fort Kurdistan in the north of Syria and Iraq for strategic purposes.
The Kurdish main enemy seems to be Turkey so it will interesting to see how this all pans out. Will the Kurds again find themselves abandoned by the US and nato, who previously let the bbc gorge on the misery. Or will a washingtub jihad be declared on Turkey for the sake of Fort Kurdistan.
Burns don’t belong,lest the gimp get out of Syria,because that will only make it far worse for usa(period)