Turkish offensive in Syria

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The incursion of Turkish forces into Syrian territory in the name of creating a buffer zone to house Syrian immigrants only adds to the problems of the war-torn country. The world is visibly divided over the military attack by Turkey on Kurd forces as a UN Security Council session failed to put up a united front against the violation of the sovereignty of Syria. European countries believe a new battleground in Syria will only ignite Islamic State militancy and create another humanitarian crisis in the Kurdish enclave. Five European countries along with Estonia demanded that Turkey end its offense while the US, without condemning Turkey, said the Trump administration did not endorse the military action and warned of consequences. Russia accused the US and its allies of trying to change the demography of Syria through “illegal military presence”, in an indirect reference to US troops there.
But President Donald Trump has pulled US troops out of northeastern Syria despite stiff opposition from Democrats and Republicans. Both sides regard the decision as a betrayal of the Kurdish forces, which fought alongside US troops against Islamic State militants. Turkey has long deemed Kurdish militias and the semi-autonomous Kurdish government a threat to its northwest region. It withheld its operation against the militias because of the presence of US troops there. As soon as the US decided to pull out, the much-anticipated offense was launched by the Turkish forces in the Syrian Kurdish region, Rojava. Kurdish militias People’s Protection Units (YPG) and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are no match for Turkey’s formidable military might.
No country should have any problem with Turkish plans to carve out a buffer zone in Syrian territory to house Syrian immigrants. Turkey has been home to 3.6 million refugees since 2011. Similarly, the world should not have any problem with Turkey’s fight against militias like the YPG and the SDF. Both militias were patronised by the US for its fight against the Islamic State. The US has a history of creating militias and later abandoning them, leaving the whole world to face the consequences. Afghan militants, initially called mujahideen, make a good example of the worst consequences of cultivating a militia. The core problem is and will be the manner of the Turkish offensive. The best course would have been to strengthen the hands of Damascus to eradicate such semi-autonomous regions. Turkey’s plan to hand over the buffer zone to rebel Syrian groups will hurt itself in the long run.