Ankara’s Syria incursion risks sparking long-term ethnic feud in Turkey
Turkey’s military intervention into Afrin might disrupt the social ties between Turkey’s Kurds and Turks permanently and spark an ethnic Turkish-Kurdish feud that could last for generations.
Following a conspicuous silence that lasted almost three weeks, the European Union has finally opened its eyes to the tragic developments taking place in Syria's Afrin province. EU High Representative Federica Mogherini said Tuesday that they are “deeply worried” about the developments unfolding in northern Syria.
Ironically, Afrin has been relatively the most tranquil part of Syria until Turkey’s military intervention began in early January. In the beginning, it was thought that the operation would be a cakewalk for the Turkish army, the second-largest army in NATO. But Kurdish groups decided to defy the Turkish incursion, and the first three weeks of the operation proved it would not be as easy as was anticipated.
The EU has become the first international actor to react to the ever-rising casualties.
“Beyond the humanitarian tragedy, the Afrin operation could have political consequences. … I’m afraid it won’t make Turkey more secure,” Mogherini said Feb. 6 when addressing the EU Assembly.
