Pentagon officials charged with targeting Islamic State in Syria are having some fun with their map of the region this week. ADVERTISING Pentagon officials charged with targeting Islamic State in Syria are having some fun with their map of the
Pentagon officials charged with targeting Islamic State in Syria are having some fun with their map of the region this week.
That’s because they — finally! — have permission from the Turkish government to use the U.S. air base at Incirlik, Turkey, just 60 miles from the Syrian border. …
The long-sought permission to use Incirlik came about the same time the United States was revving up the idea of creating an Islamic State-free zone along a swath of Syrian territory abutting the Turkish border.
The idea is not to officially declare and enforce a no-fly zone but to establish a looser safe zone that would “ensure greater security and stability along Turkey’s border with Syria,” White House officials told The Washington Post. The area would come under the control of moderate Syrian insurgents battling Syria’s government in a deadly civil war, the Post reported.
This anti-Islamic-State buffer zone is something Turkey sees as crucial for its defense, so it looks like a smart deal for both sides, even if it isn’t being described as a negotiated compromise.
If you’re wondering why the arrangement sounds a bit squishy, and overdue, well, that only hints at the political complexity of fighting in Syria. The lineup of friends and allies committed, or sort of committed, to helping the U.S. eradicate Islamic State includes numerous governments and countless militias, all of whom have their own concerns and agendas.
If everyone keeps their word, it will be a formidable team. But here’s why that’s not guaranteed: They don’t all agree on who’s the most dangerous adversary.
Consider again that Pentagon map of Syria: to the east, the border area currently is in the friendly hands of the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, which has worked closely with U.S. forces in the air to drive back the enemy from territory inhabited by Kurds.
To the west is the area where Turkey wants the safe zone, which would allow thousands of Syrian refugees to return home from Turkish territory.
In theory, the U.S., along with Turkey and other allies, should be able to use air attacks to drive back Islamic State.
The challenge is neither the Turks nor the Syrian Kurds consider Islamic State to be their most dangerous enemy. In fact, they are more worried about each other because the Syrian Kurds are aligned with Kurdish separatists in Turkey.
Adding another layer of complexity, many of the other militias on the ground in Syria that would be part of the team fighting Islamic State also have their own higher aim: fighting the brutal regime of Syrian strongman Bashar Assad. …
If things go the way those Pentagon players hope, Turkey will stick with the U.S. and help open up that safety zone, dealing a battlefield defeat to Islamic State. Turkey will be able to encourage the flow back across the border of Syrian refugees, and also feel more protected from Islamic State terrorist attacks.
Who patrols that safety zone? That’s another good question. The U.S. has been slow to train a force of moderate Syrian fighters, but there actually are thousands of fighters in Syria from different factions who can fill the void.
Some were trained by U.S. allies or the CIA. Many also are more fixated on fighting Assad than Islamic State. It’s not yet clear who is the most capable or trustworthy.
This would be a much easier war to fight if there were just two sides. But with Turkey’s inclusion, the U.S. effort gets stronger.
If the entire team remains together, the mission to destroy Islamic State in Syria has a fighting chance.
— Chicago Tribune
