|
Turkey shelters the Free Syrian Army
Turkey is hosting an armed opposition group waging an insurgency against the government of Syria, providing shelter to the commander and dozens of members of the group, the Free Syrian Army, and permitting them to coordinate attacks across the border from inside a camp protected by the Turkish military. The support for the rebels comes amid a wider Turkish campaign to undermine Assads government. Turkey is soon expected to impose sanctions on Syria, and it has increased its support for an umbrella political opposition group known as the Syrian National Council, which announced its formation in Istanbul. The harboring of leaders in the Free Syrian Army, composed of defectors from the Syrian armed forces, may be its most noteworthy challenge so far. On Wednesday, the group claimed responsibility for killing nine Syrian soldiers, including a uniformed officer, in an attack in central Syria. Turkey once viewed its close ties with Syria as a great foreign policy accomplishment, but relations have disintegrated over the antigovernment protests there and the brutal crackdown. Erdogan was personally offended by Assads repeated refusal to keep his promises to undertake sweeping reform. Turkish officials believe that the Assad government may collapse within the next two years. Analyst Hugh Pope called Turkeys apparent relationship with the Free Syrian Army "completely new territory." He said,"This pushes Turkish policy further towards active intervention in Syria. It is clear Turkey feels under threat from what is happening in the Middle East, particularly Syria." Pope noted that in speeches Mr. Erdogan "has spoken of what happens in Syria as an internal affair of Turkey." Posted by: 2011-10-28 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=332446 |