Turkey’s “Olive Branch” Military Agenda Has Incited the Pentagon to Intensify Training of US Sponsored Kurdish Border Security Forces (BSF)

After the Turkish Air Forces hit Kurdish positions in Syria’s Afrin, the General Staff of the Turkish armed forces on Saturday announced it launched ‘Operation Olive Branch’ against the Kurdish PYD/PKK troops. The next day, the Turkish command reported that aircraft had hit 153 Kurdish militant targets, including “shelters and arsenals.” In addition, according to Hürriyet Daily News, the Turkish Air Force conducted massive air strikes on the Menagh Military Air Base, which the U.S. repeatedly had used to supply weapons and ammunition to Kurdish formations.

According to Reuters, the Pentagon has intensified military training of the Syrian Border Security Forces (BSF) along the border areas. It will become a basis of the new Syrian Kurd’s army.

While they continue supplying them with weapons, what will the Pentagon use BSF for in this unfolding situation? It seems the U.S. keeps on pursuing insidious policy putting pressure on its NATO ally, Turkey.

Washington realizes that Ankara is getting out of control and a robust military fist along the borderline will only assist Erdogan. U.S. support for the SDF has put enormous strain on ties with NATO ally Turkey, which views the YPG as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) – a group that has waged a three-decade insurgency in Turkey and is considered a terrorist group by the European Union, Turkey, and the United States.

What will be the outcome?

It appears that this confrontation between the U.S. and Turkey could have catastrophic consequences for the parties involved and especially for the Kurds, not to mention the whole region.

It would also drive a wedge into the inner structures of NATO.

*

This article was originally published by Inside Syria Media Center.


Comment on Global Research Articles on our Facebook page

Become a Member of Global Research


Articles by: Sophie Mangal

Disclaimer: The contents of this article are of sole responsibility of the author(s). The Centre for Research on Globalization will not be responsible for any inaccurate or incorrect statement in this article. The Centre of Research on Globalization grants permission to cross-post Global Research articles on community internet sites as long the source and copyright are acknowledged together with a hyperlink to the original Global Research article. For publication of Global Research articles in print or other forms including commercial internet sites, contact: [email protected]

www.globalresearch.ca contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the provisions of "fair use" in an effort to advance a better understanding of political, economic and social issues. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than "fair use" you must request permission from the copyright owner.

For media inquiries: [email protected]