Turkey was behind the jihad group — Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) — that along with the Syrian National Army (SNA) toppled the al-Assad regime, although it has denied this. For years, Turkey has “operated alongside” the HTS in northern Syria “and is believed to exert significant influence over the group”; meanwhile, the SNA is a Turkish proxy. Turkey has thousands of its troops in northern Syria, and backs its proxy forces there, which have clashed and continue to clash with the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Turkey sees the SDF as “an extension of its domestic nemesis, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).”
It would follow that Turkey would seek to legitimize HTS, as it urges world powers to remove the jihad group from terror watchlists. “Turkish FM urges removal of Syria’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham from terror watchlists,” AFP, December 19, 2024:
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan says world powers should remove the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group which seized power in Syria from their terror watchlist.
“I think it is time for the international community starting from UN… to remove their name from the terrorism list…
Meanwhile, Turkey has denied Trump’s assertion that it carried out a “very smart” and “unfriendly takeover without a lot of lives being lost” in Syria.” “Turkish FM denies Trump claim of ‘unfriendly takeover’ by Turkiye in Syria”, Al Jazeera, December 19, 2024:
Turkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has denied a claim by incoming United States President Donald Trump that the toppling of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad was an “unfriendly takeover” by Turkiye.
In remarks apparently praising Ankara, Trump told a news conference earlier this week that Turkiye was “very smart” and had carried out “an unfriendly takeover without a lot of lives being lost” in Syria.
In an interview with Al Jazeera broadcast on Wednesday, the Turkish foreign minister said it would be “a grave mistake” to describe the current events in Syria as a takeover by Turkiye….
Trump’s assertion:
Turkey doesn’t want to be seen as the “unfriendly” and covert “regional power that has final control of Syria, pointing to a culture of domination that had brought ruin to the region.” Yet it is just that. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has made no secret of his global ambition of a revived Ottoman Empire, with himself as caliph. Turkey was behind the takeover, and is carefully managing its global image.
The media portrayal of Trump’s words as praise of Erdogan’s role in Syria, and of Trump as favorably viewing Erdogan as a key player in Syria’s future, is premature. In 2019, Trump also threatened to “totally destroy and obliterate” Turkey’s economy if Turkey did anything Trump “considered off limits.”
As I have stated strongly before, and just to reiterate, if Turkey does anything that I, in my great and unmatched wisdom, consider to be off limits, I will totally destroy and obliterate the Economy of Turkey (I’ve done before!). They must, with Europe and others, watch over…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 7, 2019
Erdogan recently invited Trump to visit Turkey, “eyeing a reset in ties.” Erdogan and other world leaders that Western globalists routinely appease have respect for Trump’s leadership, which in itself serves as a deterrent.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
I like the above Trump tweet about Turkey. He ought to have Secretary Rubio and NSA Walz review Turkey’s behavior vis a vis all its neighbors – Armenia, Greece, Syria, Cyprus, as well as its support for jihadist groups like HTS and ISIS, its hosting of Hamas and its hostility towards Israel. Also have Pete Hegseth take a look at both Incirlik and Al Udeid bases in Turkey and Qatar, and look at relocating them to, say, Israel and Greece
The era of pretending that Turkey is an ally needs to come to an end sooner, rather than later
skeptiker says
Sehe ich genau so. Wer die westlichen Werte nicht teilt und noch schlimmer, offen bekämpft, sollte vom Know How des Westens nicht profitieren. Erdogan ist ein Hassprediger und Kriegstreiber, vergleichbar mit den Mullahs, der versucht, ein faschistisch klerikales Weltreich zu errichten.
somehistory says
In his “great and unmatched wisdom”…..he speaks just as bold as the turkey dictator and that scares the dictator.
Mr. Trump would be well-advised never to visit the mozlum ruined nations. Never They might succeed in their murderous efforts to eliminate him.
Billy says
Turkey, the supposed leader of the revived Islamic Empire, is a Terrorist State like the 50+ Islamic Countries as taught in Islam’s Quran. Moreover, Islam is a deceitful, totalitarian, terrorist, pedophilic Criminal Gang Enterprise against all Non-Muslims by using discrimination, deception, hatred, rape, murder, and violence to gain ultimate power and control as taught in Islamic Law and in Islam’s Quran. Furthermore, Islam’s supremacist-genocidal Ideology, its intolerant Muslims, its propaganda Schools, its foreign terrorist Organizations, and its ‘Convert-or-Die’ Mosques fund, teach, inspire, and promote ‘Threats and Incitement of Violence’ as well as never-ending terrorism, loathing, and segregation against women, children, and all Non-Muslims(eg. Quran 2:191-3; 4:65, 89, 100; 5:14,82; 8:65; 9:5,14-15,29,111; 33:26; 47:4; 65:4; 98:6-7 and more).
Tony says
Turkey should be expelled from NATO for discrimination, violence, and terrorism against all Non-Muslims.
James Lincoln says
My advice to Erdogan:
Do not mess with Pres. Trump in 2025.