Once again, the Turkish move fits perfectly with the overall imperial strategy of "deconstructing" Syria and Iraq and breaking them into smaller, innocuous statelets that will remain in "a permanent state of colonial dependency" for the foreseeable future.
As for Turkey's Islamist zealots in Ankara; they feel entirely justified in reclaiming territory they think was stolen from them following WW1. Turkish columnist for A Haber, Cemil Barlas, summed it up like this to RT's Harry Fear:
"In the past, these lands belonged to us; we have the right to take part in their fate. Moreover, our relatives live in those regions. We are concerned as to what is happening to them...According to Barlas, Turkey has a right over Syrian and Iraqi's natural resources and he thinks that people living there are not profiting from selling oil as it all goes to the 'dictator.'" (Sputnik News)
Turkey's invasion of Iraq signals the beginning of a long-term occupation that will likely expand to Mosul. This will establish a critical beachhead for controlling resources and pipeline corridors that will keep the oil flowing through Turkey and on to the southern port of Ceyhan. Here's more on what's going on from Turkish columnist Yavuz Baydar:
"Taking back Mosul in full is on the top of the agenda. For this there is an apparent convergence of interests between Turkey, the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) and the Western allies...The key figure in the big picture is Khaled Hodja, leader of the Syrian National Coalition (SNC), in close cooperation with KRG leader Masoud Barzani. It was he who declared that there would be a joint combat force built in the canton of Rojava.
"A colonel, speaking anonymously to Tunca Ogreten with the Diken news site in Istanbul, confirmed the plans, adding that it was a formation initiated by the US and Turkey and that it would consist of around 5,000 men.
"... These forces are supported by the US and Turkey, both against the [Syrian President Bashar al-] Assad regime and to cut out the Kurds in northern Syria.
"Idris Nassan, the deputy foreign minister of Kobani, claims that this new force would consist mainly of members of the groups Ahrar al-Sham and al-Nusra, and Turkmens.
"Nassan connects the latest moves to an imminent meeting in Riyadh, where Saudis are organizing new alliance-building for the Syrian opposition forces...'Behind the term 'moderate forces' are Saudi Arabia and Turkey,' Nassan told the Diken website." ("What lies beneath Turkey's 'Mosul move'?" Today's Zaman)
So it looks like an agreement has been struck between Turkey, the KRG and the United States to seize parts of northern Iraq and eastern Syria to create a de facto Sunni state that will be jointly-controlled by Ankara and Washington. It also looks like Obama has agreed to use dodgy jihadi-proxies (aka -- Terrorists) to work alongside US Special Forces to carry out future military operations. So while the effort to remove Assad has been temporarily put on the backburner, the determination to destroy Syria is as strong as ever.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
2
2
1
