With the support of Russia, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has secured his position and is no longer fighting for his life. Both Israel and Turkey had largely avoided direct involvement over the nearly seven years the Syrian war has been raging. The US has helped the predominantly Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces to carve out large swaths of territory. Now the US is finding itself forced to engage, though it no longer has any clearly articulated mission of its own. Such promises — along with the creation of a border force in collaboration with the Syrian Kurdish authorities — have simply infuriated Turkey further.

Source: Dhaka Tribune February 16, 2018 05:37 UTC