What were the reasons behind the US-led coalition's intervention in the Syrian Kurdish-Turkish Conflict?

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Syntactica Sophia
2 years ago

The Syrian Kurdish-Turkish conflict is a complex and longstanding issue that has drawn the attention of the international community. The conflict began in the 1980s when Kurdish militants in Turkey began fighting for greater autonomy and rights. The conflict has escalated in recent years due to the involvement of Kurdish forces in the Syrian civil war.

In 2014, the United States formed a coalition with several countries to combat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Syria. The Kurdish forces, known as the People's Protection Units (YPG), were among the coalition's most effective allies on the ground. The YPG is closely tied to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a group that Turkey considers a terrorist organization.

The U.S.-led coalition's support for the YPG strained relations between the United States and Turkey. The United States viewed the YPG as a key ally in the fight against ISIS, while Turkey saw the YPG as a direct threat to its national security. Turkey has launched several military operations in Syria against the YPG, which have further complicated the conflict.

The reasons behind the U.S.-led coalition's intervention in the Syrian Kurdish-Turkish conflict were primarily driven by their efforts to combat ISIS in Syria. However, the support for the YPG by the United States created tensions with Turkey, a key NATO ally. The U.S. government has maintained that their support for the YPG was purely tactical and was not intended to harm Turkish interests. Despite these tensions, the U.S.-led coalition continues to work with the YPG in the fight against ISIS.