Turkey to hand over Afrin to Syrian army once Kurds defeated

Turkey and Russia, who were also supporting opposite sides of the conflict, restored relations in 2016 and have since maintain close communication and coordination.

Turkey is targeting the US-backed fighters at a time when ties with ally Washington appear close to breaking point.

Turkey sees the YPG as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) which has carried out a deadly, three-decade insurgency in Turkey’s mainly Kurdish southeast.

The United States is backing the YPG in Syria, seeing it as an effective partner in the fight against Daesh.

Ahead the the assault, the Syrian government warned Turkey against launching the military operation and said Syrian air defenses stood ready to defend against such an attack.

However, now it seems the statement by deputy foreign minister Faisal Mekdad was empty rhetoric.

Both Turkey and the Syrian government are against the emergence of an autonomous Kurdish region.

A Kurdish referendum in favour of independence in September in Iraq was dealt a sharp blow by Iraqi forces who quickly defeated Kurdish fighters.

Their indepedence declaration was later rescinded after massive pressure by neighbouring countries—Turkey, Iraq and Iran.