Turkey launches large-scale military operation in Syria, army amassed on border, US is in fear

Turkey and its allies are building up forces along the border with Syria, raising concerns in the United States. There is a possibility that Ankara is preparing for a major military operation. The force is said to include rebel fighters, Turkish commandos and a large amount of artillery, and is concentrated near the town of Ain al-Arab.

High-ranking American officials spoke about this in an exclusive commentary for The Wall Street Journal. One official said Turkey's buildup began shortly after the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, and said Ankara's actions were similar to what happened in 2019 before its invasion of northeastern Syria.

"We are focused on this and we are urging restraint," another U.S. official told reporters.

The publication recalled that a representative of the Syrian Kurdish civil administration, Ilham Ahmed, appealed to newly elected US President Donald Trump with a request to put pressure on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"Turkey's goal is to establish de facto control over Syria before you take office, forcing you to engage with them as rulers of our territory. If Turkey continues its operation, the consequences will be catastrophic," Ahmed wrote in a letter to Trump seen by reporters.

The newspaper added that US-brokered ceasefire talks between Syrian Kurds and Turkish-backed rebels in Ain al-Arab had failed, with a Syrian Democratic Forces spokesman saying there was now a "significant military build-up" to the east and west of the city.

"On the other side of the border, we already see Turkish troops advancing”, Ahmed wrote to Trump.

In addition, Trump hinted in a conversation with journalists that Turkey organized the takeover of Syria by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, the publication recalled.

The journalists also emphasized that during his first term, Trump partially withdrew American troops from northeastern Syria, which opened the way for a large-scale Turkish invasion. Hundreds of thousands of Syrians were killed or forced to flee their homes. The Republican administration later helped broker a ceasefire.

Last week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Turkey in an effort to de-escalate tensions. Blinken sought assurances from Erdogan to limit operations against Kurdish forces but was unable to secure any commitments, according to the report.