Washington’s focus on providing military support to Syrian Kurds battling Daesh, however, has always been rife with contradictions, experts say. The Kurds in Afrin were not involved in fighting Daesh and have not received American assistance, U.S. officials say. Russia has given the nod to the Turkish offensive, which is unfolding in an area demarcated as under Russia’s overall influence, U.S. officials say. Syria and Iran also are unhappy about American plans to remain in Syria, and the Turkish offensive appears only to have brought Turkey, Russia, Iran and Syria closer together, analysts say. “Back in 2011, Turkish officials stressed to me that their nightmare scenario was a break-away Syrian Kurdish region in northeast Syria.

Source: thestar January 28, 2018 22:52 UTC