The statements come from Richard "Dick" Black, Virginia Republican Senator: "Erdogan considers himself a sultan and plans to annex the northern part of Syria".
In an interview with an Iranian broadcaster on February 28, Black does not discount and sinks the shot.
"Turkey has supported ISIS throughout the years of the war in Syria, favoring oil smuggling. The jihadist groups in Syria are an instrument of Ankara to extend its dominion to the south, along the lines of the Ottoman Empire ".
The US senator has repeatedly come into conflict with his own party for the positions taken in Syria in favor of the government of Damascus, which he praises to defend the Christian and Jewish communities in a country affected by a ferocious Islamist uprising. Known for his radical utterances, in the 2016 he distinguished himself for pointing to Turkey and Saudi Arabia as vile nations intent on spreading waahbism.
His statements, however, follow those of the Turkish president Erdogan who always the 28 February, confirmed to the press the Turkish intention to prolong Shield of the Euphrates until the liberation of Raqqa.
The Turkish General Staff considers the operation to be concluded at Al Bab, but not "the work to be done in Syria".
Erdogan announced that contacts with Russia and the United States are ongoing and that plans for the Raqqa offensive will be shared with Moscow and Washington.
The problem for Turkey now is the Syrian army and the YPG curde, both engaged in the offensive against the Islamic State. The troops of Damascus would have cut the road to the Turks by occupying the plain that extends from Al Bab to the Euphrates. In these days there are repeated skirmishes between Turkish forces (regular and militia allied to Ankara) and Syrian army in the disputed areas.
The clashes between the pro-Turkish militias and the Kurds continue instead on the whole northern front. Kurdish YPGs are part of the Syrian Democratic Forces engaged in the offensive on Raqqa. Especially in the areas to the east and north of Aleppo the friction with the troops of Shield of the Euphrates it is continuous. While maintaining a low profile, Ankara has never denied the true objective of the entry of its troops in Syria: contain the Kurds and create a solution of continuity between Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava) and the Turkish border.
But now the knots have come to comb. The withdrawal on all fronts of ISIS militiamen is creating friction between the forces that are fighting them.
The change of the march of Turkey in 2016 is the basis of the new scenarios that are taking shape in Syria, inspired by the alarm launched by Senator Black.
For years Ankara has assumed an enigmatic attitude towards the Caliphate, openly supporting the anti-Assad Islamist groups operating close to the Turkish border. In the 2016 summer, Turkey decides to rejoin Russia with which it had reached the brink of war a year before and to declare war open to the Islamic State.
Erdogan's move made it possible to disengage from the accusation of financing jihadist terrorism and avoiding a dangerous diplomatic isolation. At the same time he obtained the go-ahead for direct intervention in the Syrian territory, a prelude to a partial occupation of the northern part of the country which is not expected to be of very short duration.
It is assumed that the release of Raqqa from ISIS will take place relatively quickly. There are too many actors who will benefit from it. The balance that will follow will be the litmus test of the true balance of power between powers.
(photo: Türk Kara Kuvvetleri)
