Syria’s long civil war has reclaimed global attention after insurgents seized most of Aleppo and dozens of nearby towns and villages.
Experts think that Turkey, which influences the large coalition of rebel fighters that are occupying the country’s second-largest city, may benefit greatly from the current Syrian crisis.
It presents an opportunity for the country to deal with the Syrian refugee crisis and the Kurdish threat along its border.
Although Syrian President Bashar al-Assad rejected Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s offer of assistance, Ankara now seems to play a bigger influence in decisions that could impact Syria’s immediate future.
Let’s take a closer look.
Turkey’s role in the new rebel offensive
Turkey has a “complex and difficult relationship” with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the jihadist group that launched the rebel attack last week, according to Omer Ozkizilcik, an associate researcher for the Atlantic Council in Ankara.
The group long served as Al-Qaeda’s branch in Syria and was considered a terrorist group by the UN and other countries, including the US.
“We can clearly say there was indirect Turkish support (for the offensive) but no direct Turkish involvement,” he told AFP.
He claimed that although the attack was due to take place “seven weeks ago… Turkey stopped the rebels from launching this military offensive.”
Russia, the ally of Assad, has also been “heavily” bombing rebel positions in the northwest to prevent an attack on his administration.
Content retrieved from: https://www.firstpost.com/explainers/turkey-syria-new-offensive-13840959.html.
