SYRIA thread

[Tuuvi]

While we're discussing refugees to no end, things have not been quieting down in Syria. Ankara now blames the Kurds for the terrorist attack and is looking to exploit that claim and intervene militarily in Syria.

With Kurds entering into a de facto alliance of convenience with Assad, there is a very real possibility of an actual, truly autonomous Kurdish region in Syria, which in fact may link up with Kurds in Iraq and Turkey. Interesting article about it in the Independent.

According to them Obama didn't manage to persuade Erdogan to drop the plans for invasion, and that means things could get really ugly, really quickly. Some other articles suggest that Turkey wouldn't dare perform an invasion unless they get US support, which they apparently aren't getting, but I'm not 100% sure Erdogan will be able to ignore his ego.

It's pretty certain the bomber was a Kurd, the real question is whether or not he was involved with the YPG. A Kurdish terror organization called TAK (Kurdistan Freedom Falcons) has claimed responsibility while the YPG denies it was involved, however like you said Turkey is itching for an excuse to invade Syria and destroy the YPG so they claim the bomber was a Syrian Kurd who entered Turkey from Kobani.

I think it's unlikely that the YPG carried out the bombing, their goals are to establish an autonomous zone within Syria and defend themselves against ISIS and Islamist rebels, they haven't fired back when Turkey shells their positions and they are trying to appeal to the West for support. Carrying out a terrorist attack against Turkey would give Turkey a real reason to invade and ruin everything.

Meanwhile TAK is a PKK splinter group which has a history of carrying out terrorist attacks against Turkey, and a lot of Kurds are upset about Turkey's crackdown in the southeast.