The Geography of Turkey's Aggressive Ambitions is Expanding

The Syrian government has already called on Turkey to withdraw its troops from Syria, stating that its presence there is an obvious violation of international law. The Syrian Foreign Ministry has stated that the presence of Turkish troops in Syrian territories is not justified as Turkey claims that it has removed the threat to its borders by defeating terrorists in Afrin.
In spite of Damascus's calls, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has already announced that he intends to strike new Syrian territories. Erdogan called the liberation of Afrin as the main stage of the actions in the frames of the "olive branch" operation. According to him, "3622 terrorists have been killed since the launch of these hostilities." Erdogan underlined that the fight against terrorism will continue also in other regions of Syria, which is near the Turkish border.
Talking about the refugees, the Turkish president underscored that they gradually return to their homes.
It should be noted that Turkey does not intend to be limited only by conducting military operations in Syria. Erdogan has already stated that he does not exclude the possibility of launching anti-terrorist operations in Iraq. He said that Turkish military forces can launch operations in the Sinjar district of Iraq against the Kurdish Workers' Party, which, by the way, Turkey considers a terrorist. Erdogan added that Ankara has discussed with Baghdad the issue of carrying out anti-terrorist operations in the north of Iraq. The Turkish president warned that if Baghdad is not able to resolve the issue, the Turkish troops will do it.
Remind, that earlier Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim stated that Ankara did not intend to carry out military operations in Sinjar without Baghdad’s consent. He stressed that Turkey respects the sovereignty of Iraq and will not take any step that can break it. Yildirim added that Turkish and Iraqi authorities have not yet reached an agreement on military action in Iraq.
Iraqi Prime Minister Heidal Al-Abadi, in turn, said that Iraqi government forces had completely liberated the territory of the country and were able themselves to resist local militants. He was opposed to Turkey to "cross the line of its powers".
Despite the statement of the Prime Minister of Iraq, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has already stated that if necessary, his country's armed forces can enter Sinjar without warning.
In response, the Iraqi Defense Ministry has promised to respond to any military intervention assessing such actions as "encroachment on Iraq's sovereignty, regime, constitution and territorial integrity."
However, declaring itself the need to reach an agreement in advance, Turkey once again assumed the role of the final decision maker. Erdogan stated that Turkey has launched a land attack in Sinjar, the north-west of Iraq.
Remind that in 2014 the militants of the Islamic State terrorist organization were captured Sinjar. At that time the local Yezidi were subjected to mass repression. By the end of 2015, the city was liberated by the forces of the Kurdish Workers' Party.
Other materials on this subject
- Syria: Assad's Baath Party Wins Majority in Parliamentary Polls More than 7,000 polling stations were set up across government-controlled parts of the country. Voting also took place in former opposition-held areas for the time since government forces retook much of...
- Russia, China Veto U.N. Approval of Aid Deliveries to Syria from Turkey The Security Council will now vote on a rival Russian text that would only approve one Turkish crossing for aid access for six months. During the coronavirus pandemic the council has been operating virtually,...
- Russia, Turkey Conduct Third Joint Patrol in Idlib The first joint Russian-Turkish patrol of the M4 highway section in the Idlib de-escalation zone took place on March 15.
- Russian Military Delegation To Arrive In Ankara On March 10 Russian military delegation will arrive in Ankara on March 10 to discuss joint patrols in Syria’s Idlib, RIA Novosti reports.
- US Welcomes Russian-Turkish Ceasefire In Idlib The United States is encouraged by reports of a Russian-Turkish ceasefire in Syria's Idlib province, a spokesperson for the US Department of State told on Thursday
Other materials on this subject
- Turkey Says Turning Back on S-400s 'Problematic' "It is a very problematic situation to turn back from the point we have come to. We invite (the United States) to distance themselves from threatening language such as sanctions," Akar told journalists...
- Turkey Arrests Another Former Intelligence Officer in Hrant Dink Murder Case Earlier last week, the Istanbul court ordered the arrest of two former gendarmerie intelligence officers – Volkan Sahin and Veysal Sahin – in the same case.
- Turkish Lira Exchange Rate Hits Another Record Low Against USD Earlier, Bloomberg had linked the ongoing devaluation of the lira to the fears that Ankara could become embroiled in the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) conflict between Armenians and Azerbaijanis.
- Turkey Denies Airspace for Transfer of Humanitarian Cargo to Armenia The airline did not give any sound reason. The humanitarian aid collected by the Armenian-American community was supposed to be sent to the civilians affected by the Artsakh-Azerbaijani war.
- Saudi Prince Calls for Boycotting Turkey Imports According to The New Khalij, the prince retweeted Erdogan’s remarks and wrote: "Therefore, I call for a full popular boycott for the Turkish products in order to protect the stability of Turkish economy...
Other materials on this subject
- Trump to Announce Further Reduction in US Troops in Iraq A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters news agency in August that the country expected to reduce the number of its troops in Iraq by about a third in the coming months.
- Rockets Target Iraqi Military Base Housing US Forces The rocket strike is the latest in a long-running series of low-level attacks believed to be carried out by Iran-sponsored militias in Iraq.
- Iraq Arrests ISIS Leader Abdulnasser al-Qirdash Said to Be al-Baghdadi’s Successor The latest raid that led to the capture and arrest of al-Qirdash comes a month after Mustafa al-Kadhimi, Iraq’s former intelligence chief, became the country’s prime minister.
- Iraq Closes Southern Border with Iran to Travelers The security source said Tehran had demanded the closure because of ongoing public protests in both Iran and Iraq.
- Pentagon Now Says 50 service Members Suffered Brain Injuries from Iran Attack Officials have acknowledged that it can take time for the concussion-like symptoms to present themselves.
-
23:13
Azerbaijan Launches Criminal Case against 2 Lebanese-Armenians Captured in Karabakh
-
22:06
Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Georgia Held a Meeting in Tsinandali
-
19:18
Gagik Jhangiryan and David Khachatryan Elected Members of Supreme Judicial Council
-
19:04
Artsakh's Foreign Ministry Welcomes European Parliament's Position on NK Conflict
-
18:31
5 Day Weather Forecast in Armenia
-
16:13
Military Exercises do not Prove that the Turkish-Azerbaijani Leadership has Peaceful Intentions towards Armenia. Armenia's MFA
-
14:02
Bodies of 3 Civilians and a Serviceman Found in Artsakh
-
13:06
The Need for an Enduring Political Solution on the Status of Nagorno-Karabakh is Essential for Securing Regional Peace and Stability: U.S. Ambassador
-
12:47
Armenia's President Hopeful Armenian-American Cooperation to Promote Long-Awaited Peace and Stability in the Region
-
12:14
Iran’s FM to Visit Armenia on January 27
-
11:20
Artsakh to Unite Emergency Situations Agency and Police Under Single Ministry of Internal Affairs
-
11:07
European Parliament Condemned Azeri War Crimes and Called for Accountability – FM Spokesperson
-
11:05
Armenia Records 165711 Confirmed Coronavirus Cases
-
21:32
European Parliament Strictly Condemns Turkey's Destabilizing Role in Nagorno Karabakh
-
18:48
Armenia Reports ‘Stable Situation’ Along Border with Azerbaijan
-
17:47
Armenian, Russian DMs Discuss Issue of Return of Captives During Phone Conversation
-
16:31
Bishop T. Vrtanes Abrahamyan appointed Primate of Artsakh Diocese
-
15:26
Primate of Artsakh Diocese of Armenian Apostolic Church is Dismissed
-
14:54
5 Day Weather Forecast in Armenia
-
13:02
Armenian, French FMs Discuss Post-war Situation in NK Conflict Zone by Phone
day
week
month
-
12:46
Lavrov: No Provocations Against Russian Peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh
-
10:50
Azerbaijan President's Statement Contradicts point 8 of Statement Signed on November 9, 2020: Arman Tatoyan
-
18:57
Artsakh Authorities Find More Bodies of Fallen Troops in Ongoing Search Operations
-
13:51
Artsakh Security Chief: We Could Have Avoided the War
-
16:40
Colorado Identifies First Known Case of UK Coronavirus Variant in US
-
09:05
Armenia to Import 2,250 Goods from Iran Instead of Turkey
-
15:04
Bodies of 1,111 Fallen Armenian Soldiers Retrieved So Far: Artsakh Emergency Service
-
23:23
Let's Believe that 2021 Will Restore Our Lost Dignity
-
17:53
Armenian, Azerbaijani Intelligence Chiefs Discuss PoW Exchange at Moscow-Mediated Meeting
-
11:46
Armenia Ombudsman: What Azerbaijan Military has Done is Step with Clear Intention to Intimidate Civilians
Humidity: 55%
Wind: 5 km/h