Even before US President Donald Trump shocked allies by announcing the pullout on Wednesday, Turkey had already upped its threats of a new offensive against Syria’s Kurds. –Not everyone in the Turkish-backed rebel zone sees the US withdrawal as an unadulterated positive. Opposition groups — including Turkish-backed forces and a former branch of Al-Qaeda — now control less than 10 percent of the country’s territory. For Ahmad Faruh, a resident of Azaz, the American withdrawal risks being exploited by ISIS, allowing it to stage a comeback in Syria. Hopefully “the factions will wage a war against Minbej, Raqa and all the regions” currently under the control of Kurdish forces.

Source: Egypt Independent December 24, 2018 08:39 UTC