Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a brief visit to Turkey on Friday to meet with Islamist strongman Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his counterpart Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, intended to discuss the collapse of the Assad dynasty in Syria and the ongoing war between Israel and the genocidal jihadists of Hamas.
Erdogan is one of the world’s most enthusiastic supporters of Hamas, publicly insisting that the group, whose stated goal is the destruction of Israel and its entire population, is “not a terrorist organization” even in the immediate aftermath of the October 7, 2023, massacre. Erdogan claimed in May that his hospitals had helped treat as much 1,000 injured Hamas terrorists.
In Syria, Turkey was aligned with America’s stated opposition to the defunct regime of former dictator Bashar Assad. Its actual operations in the country were primarily opposed to American allies within the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a Kurdish-led militia that played a critical role in the destruction of the Islamic State “caliphate” in Raqqa. Rather than support the Syrian rebels attacking Assad forces, Erdogan has supported the Syrian National Army (SNA), formerly known as the Free Syrian Army (FSA), a Sunni Islamist force currently dedicated to erasing the Kurdish presence in northern Syria.
Both in his public comments to reporters and in the readouts following his meetings with Fidan and Erdogan, Blinken did not mention the SDF by name, nor did he identify Syria’s Kurds as a persecuted ethnic minority. He vaguely suggested that the post-Assad Syrian government must be “inclusive” and respect “minorities.”
The transition out of the Assad regime is being led by the militia responsible for toppling the regime – Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an al-Qaeda offshoot whose leader, wanted terrorist Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, has stated he wants to replace Assad with an Islamist government.
In remarks with Fidan, Blinken offered “thanks and gratitude to President Erdogan for the generosity of his time” and for his “insight” on the Middle East. The top diplomat said that he believes there is “broad agreement” between Turkey and America, NATO allies, “on what we would each like to see going forward” in Syria. Blinken said he hoped for a Syrian government that is “inclusive and non-sectarian, one that protects the rights or minorities and women,” among other attributes such as hoping the al-Qaeda-linked jihadis “destroy” any chemical weapons they may find.
While mentioning “minorities,” Blinken did not name the Kurds specifically or the SDF. He did note the “imperative of continuing the efforts to keep ISIS down,” which is led by the SDF, primarily made up of members of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG/YPJ).
“Our countries worked very hard and gave a lot over many years to ensure the elimination of the territorial caliphate of ISIS, to ensure that that threat doesn’t rear its head again, and it’s imperative that we keep at those efforts,” Blinken said.
The absence of a specific mention of Kurdish forces in Blinken’s public remarks stands out because Fidan made a note to mentioned them. Fidan referred to the PKK, or Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a U.S.-designated Marxist terrorist organization. Turkey considers the PKK indistinguishable from the SDF, the Kurdish-led force allied with America that helped destroy the ISIS caliphate.
“Of course, ensuring stability in Syria as soon as possible, taking action to prevent terrorism from establishing a foothold are among our priorities,” Fidan said alongside Blinken. “We discussed what would be done on these issues, what would be done for terrorists – DAESH [ISIS] and PKK – taking action to prevent them from abusing the situation.”
Fidan also said they discussed “regional actors,” without elaborating.
Blinken also did not mention the SDF in his private talks with Fidan or Erdogan, according to State Department readouts. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said that Blinken “emphasized the importance of U.S.-Turkish cooperation in the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS mission in Syria” in conversation with Fidan, which would include the SDF, but did not note any specific conversation about the SDF.
With Erdogan, Blinken said it was important to take “all feasible steps to protect civilians, including members of minority groups,” without specifying Kurds.
“He emphasized the need to ensure the coalition to defeat ISIS can continue to execute its critical mission,” to Erdogan, the State Department added.
The SDF-led operation to contain ISIS is currently not operational, the commander of the forces, Mazloum Abdi, told Sky News on Wednesday, because the Turkish proxy SNA is launching a full-scale attack to destroy the SDF. The SNA launched a campaign, apparently supported by the Turkish government, called “Dawn of Freedom” in late November to destroy the SDF and dislodge it from Syrian territory near the Turkish border, which Kurds identify as Syrian Kurdistan, or Rojava. “Dawn of Freedom” began shortly after HTS stormed Aleppo and ousted Assad forces from there, beginning the rapid collapse of the Assad regime that culminated with the dictator fleeing the country on Saturday. The SNA did nothing to combat Assad troops or contribute to the fall of Assad in the past month, however, focusing instead on the U.S.-backed Kurds.
“ISIS is now stronger in the Syrian desert. Previously, they were in remote areas and hiding, but now they have greater freedom of movement since they face no issues with other groups and are not engaged in conflict with them,” Abdi warned in his comments to Sky News. “In the areas under our control, their activities have also increased. Just a few days ago, three members of the Internal Security Forces were killed near al Hassakah in an ISIS operation.”
Abdi described anti-ISIS operations as “halted” and said it was “not a decision” he took but a necessary move to protect SDF territory in the face of the SNA onslaught.
“Generally, the effectiveness of our forces and those of the coalition against ISIS diminishes when we are focused on protecting civilians and our communities, as efforts are redirected toward the ongoing conflict” Abdi explained. “This is why I say that if the fighting continues and intensifies, it will play into ISIS’s hands.”
Army Gen. Erik Kurilla, the commander of the U.S. Central Command, visited SDF leaders on Tuesday in a signal that the U.S. is still invested in the anti-ISIS effort, but Washington has mostly remained mum on reports that the SNA is targeting Kurds. The SDF, in apparently concern for a lack of support on behalf of their U.S. partners, have turned to HTS.
“We have contact with Tahrir al-Sham through many channels, typically regarding the protection of our people in Aleppo. Apparently, we have never clashed with them,” Abdi said at a press conference last week, according to the Kurdish outlet Rudaw.
This week, the SDF’s political allies began flying the Syrian rebel flag instead of the Assad regime flag. The SDF also said this week it was preparing a delegation to send to Damascus to ensure cordial relations with HTS.
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