Strongman Islamic supremacist Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was foremost among those who aided in the overthrow of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad by al-Qaeda-linked leader Abu Mohammad al-Julani, who changed his name to Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa for tactical reasons.
Turkey and the new Syrian jihadist leadership, Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS), have been demanding “the removal of elements within the Syrian Democratic Forces linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) – who have fought for Kurdish autonomy in Turkey since 1984.”
The Syrian Democratic Forces have been staunch allies of the US and fought side by side with American forces in battling the Islamic State (ISIS) in the region. Now Turkey is threatening that it will mount an offensive against the Kurds if its demands aren’t met. But the Kurds refuse to do so.
The new Syrian leadership is a dangerous jihadist entity which pretends to be benign. The general commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces, Mazloum Abdi, congratulated Trump after the new president was sworn in, and stated:
We look forward to continuing cooperation in achieving stability, defeating terrorism, and supporting peace in Northeast Syria
The battle against the Islamic State in the region is far from over. According to Foreign Policy magazine:
The Islamic State is not only alive and well; it is flourishing in certain parts of the world, taking advantage of key geopolitical events.
Another sobering factor is that in northern Syria, some 10,000 ISIS fighters are in 28 jails, described as “an army in waiting.” Add to that number, there are 42 thousand more of their family members. ISIS brides are often as dangerous as their male counterparts, while children are trained up as “cubs of the caliphate.”
Meanwhile, Israel has been wisely launching strikes against several weapons sites inside Syria (military installations, facilities, and arsenals). Of course, Arab countries have been condemning Israel for “for violating Syria’s sovereignty and devastating assets belonging to the Arab nation.” An odd charge, given that Abu Mohammad al-Julani is a jihadist.
“Syria’s Kurds to ‘lay down weapons when ISIS fight is over,’” by Sunniva Rose, The National, February 18, 2025:
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a US-backed, mostly Kurdish paramilitary group in control of large parts of Syria, will not give up their weapons as long as ISIS remains active on Syrian territory, a senior Kurdish politician has told The National.
The declaration sets the scene for continued fragmentation of the country as its new President Ahmed Al Shara vows to restore all of Syria to central control. “It’s a necessity to keep weapons because there is a fight against ISIS,” Ilham Ahmed said. “We’ll also have to be reinforced, because it’s obvious that recently ISIS has resurfaced even stronger than before in a few areas of Syria.”
Syria’s Kurds, which represent about 10 per cent of the population and endured discrimination under the rule of Bashar Al Assad, feel excluded from the political transition led by Damascus’s new rulers, said Ms Ahmed, co-chair of foreign affairs for the SDF’s political wing, the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC).
Mr Al Shara, who has called for all paramilitary groups to disarm, has however vowed to be as inclusive as possible and held a meeting on December 30 near Damascus with SDF representatives, including its commander-in-chief Mazloum Abdi. Mr Abdi on Monday invited him to visit north-east Syria.…
࿗Infidel࿘ says
They should absolutely not lay down their weapons. Also, they’d do well to be an ally of Israel, rather than just the US. Trump could use them as a bargaining chip in any deal w/ Turkey, just like he’d using Ukraine in the negotiations w/ Russia. The Kurds would do well to avoid that predicament
࿗Infidel࿘ says
They should absolutely not lay down their weapons. Also, they’d do well to be an ally of Israel, rather than just the US. Trump could use them as a bargaining chip in any deal w/ Turkey, just like he’d using Ukraine in the negotiations w/ Russia. The Kurds would do well to avoid that predicament
࿗Infidel࿘ says
They should absolutely not lay down their weapons. Also, they’d do well to be an ally of Israel, rather than just the US. Trump could use them as a bargaining chip in any deal w/ Turkey, just like he’d using Ukraine in the negotiations w/ Russia. The Kurds would do well to avoid that predicament
࿗Infidel࿘ says
No idea how the above got triple posted
James Lincoln says
Infidel,
It seems to take forever for comments to “post”.
You probably hit the “post comment box” multiple times.
St Croix says
Al-Sharaa is trying to centralize control.
Well, of course. This is the time of Hudna, and that’s what it’s about. Fake peace treaties, fake conciliations, taqiyya and consolidating power, building up the military.
All to be ready when the time comes, and to strike out of a time of “Peace” thereby taking everyone by surprise. Including Israel. Erdogan has said, “Israel, we will come and knock at your door sometime in the night.” Turkey has a plan, it’s a long-term vision. But maybe it won’t need to be as long-term as everyone might think. Things have been moving quickly lately.
OLD GUY says
Erdogan is a bad man. I wouldn’t trust him with dirty underwear.
Gurek says
Erdogan promotes Infidel hatred, not Kurdish hatred. He calls the terrorist Kurds his “brothers”. Both are terrorists. The main target are Jews, Christians and other non-Muslims. Not the Kurds. Stop trusting these people. Kurds are the masters of taqiyya.
Brenrod says
Turkey is a fake ally of USA, it gives sanctuary and aids our jihadist enemies.