Turkish strikes on Kurds stoke tensions with Syria as well

This weekend's Turkish airstrikes targeting Kurdish fighters in northern Syria also threaten to stoke tensions with the Syrian government. Both Ankara and Damascus consider the Kurdish-led forces controlling north and east Syria their opponent. But Damascus is angered by Syrian soldiers also killed in the strikes and is concerned over a possible Turkish ground incursion into northern Syria. The increased tensions come as Russian efforts to broker a reconciliation between Turkey and Syria had just started to see some progress in recent months, with the reported help of Iran, as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had expressed a willingness to eventually meet Syria's president.

Related Keywords

Syria ,Beirut ,Beyrouth ,Lebanon ,Moscow ,Moskva ,Russia ,Istanbul ,Turkey ,Iraq ,Damascus ,Dimashq ,Iran ,Tehran ,Ankara ,Prague ,Praha ,Hlavníesto ,Czech Republic ,Turks ,Iranian ,Turkish ,Syrian ,Lebanese ,Russian ,Syrians ,Iranians ,Hogir Al Abdo ,Suzan Fraser ,Alexander Lavrentyev ,Wali Mamluk ,Ibrahim Hamidi ,Mais Kreidi ,Asharq Al Awsat ,Hakan Fidan ,Bashar Assad ,Mazloum Abdi ,Tayyip Erdogan ,Syrian Democratic ,Associated Press ,Syria National Security Council ,Syrian Kurds ,Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ,Islamic State ,Syrian President Bashar Assad ,Britain Based Syrian Observatory ,Human Rights ,Muhannad Haj Ali ,National Security Council ,London Based Asharq Al Awsat ,Syrian Observatory ,Kurdish Led Syrian Democratic ,