Turkey in recent days, on the occasion of the death of 12 of its Officers-Military Commando by the PKK, has been systematically bombing its possible positions in Northern Iraq and in Northeastern Syria against positions and infrastructures of the Kurds of the SDF.
We recall that there is a fundamental difference between the Turkish position and that of the US-EU on the Kurds of the SDF, which the former equate them with the PKK, calling them terrorists, while the latter separate them from the PKK terrorist organisation.
The reason is that the Kurdish SDF are proven allies of the US in their fight against the terrorist ISIS, fighting alongside them.
"Silence" from the US on Turkish air strikes against the SDF in Syria
However, the continuous Turkish aerial bombardments against SDF positions and infrastructure and the zero US response are of great concern to the Kurds, with Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Commander Mazloum Abdi expressing concern over Biden's silence on Turkish strikes, suggesting that this implies his "unofficial approval".
At the same time, he urged the United States to prevent any new sales of F-16s to Turkey.
In an interview with Al-Monitor on Saturday, Abdi revealed that despite "Washington's promises" to stop Turkey's attacks in northern and eastern Syria, the attacks continue, leading him to believe in "unofficial" US approval.
He linked these actions to Washington's leniency, possibly linked to Ankara's support for Sweden's NATO membership.
Abdi urged the United States to prevent any new F-16 sales to Turkey, warning that such aircraft could be used to target civilian infrastructure.
The recent air campaign, launched after a PKK attack in northern Iraq that resulted in the death of 12 Turkish soldiers, underlines Ankara's perception of a threat from both northern Iraq and northern and eastern Syria.
This ongoing campaign marks the second in the region since last October, in response to the PKK's attack on the Interior Ministry building in Ankara three months ago.
In particular, Turkish airstrikes have specifically targeted SDF-controlled facilities involving oil and gas fields in the region.
Turkish air targets and Iran's attempt to win over Arab tribes in Syria
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan's statement that "all facilities used by the PKK and YPG in northern and eastern Syria have become legitimate targets" has driven the Turkish airstrikes.
Abdi highlighted additional provocations, citing the involvement of the Syrian regime and Iran, aimed at attracting Arab tribes allied with the SDF, as seen in the recent unrest in Deir-ez-Zor.
The SDF, backed by the United States, faced increased tension when Washington shot down a Turkish drone during the October campaign.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has criticised the relationship between the US and "terrorist organisations", pledging to continue operations in northern Syria and northern Iraq.
Biden's global "headaches"
The US President does show tolerance for Turkish air strikes against SDF infrastructure and positions, but up to the point of not harming US interests in the region.
Undoubtedly the US has far more thorny issues to deal with than this, such as the wars in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip, and the possibility of a Chinese attack on Taiwan in February 2024.
Therefore, Biden is attempting to get along with Erdogan at least rudimentarily by tolerating Turkish bombing of the Kurds of the SDF, while on the basis of win-win and selling him the F-16 BLOCK-70 F-16s by extracting Sweden's NATO membership from him, hoping that by the time of the US elections Turkey will remain relatively calm without causing him problems in the Aegean and SE Mediterranean.
Especially for the latter "we are keeping a very small basket", as we believe that Erdogan, after any acquisition of F-16 BLOCK-70 and possibly EUROFIGHTERs, will revert to the previous situation with our country, i.e. the tension that prevailed earlier than the earthquakes in his country last year.
