Afrin’s “Federal” Kurds Are Getting Exactly What They Deserve

Afrin’s “Federal” Kurds Are Getting Exactly What They Deserve

No one should be surprised that Turkey is taking preemptive action to thwart the development of an existential security threat along its southern border, and despite the public statements by Russian and Syrian officials, it’s very likely that Ankara did, in fact, coordinate its operation with both of them beforehand, albeit to differing degrees. Turkey…

Manbij Becomes Key as US Looks to Rein in Turkey’s Syrian Offensive

Manbij Becomes Key as US Looks to Rein in Turkey’s Syrian Offensive

The US is trying to prevent the fighting in Afrin between Turkish forces and Syrian Kurds spreading east into the main Kurdish enclave in Syria where US troops are based. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to drive the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) fighters not just from Afrin, but from Manbij, a strategic…