Syrian Kurds cut deal with the regime to bring troops back to counter Turkey.

A Syrian rebel fires a machine gun in Ras al-Ayn. Washington Post/AFP/Getty.

The Syrian Kurds have cut deal with the Assad regime to bring troops back to Northern Syria to counter the Turkish invasion. Washington Post. The news comes as the Turks have been advancing quicker than expected into Kurdish held territory. America is withdrawing their troops from the front lines as their position becomes untenable and the Turks intentions towards them remains unclear. Some US troops came under Turkish artillery fire but no one was hurt. A civilian/journalist convoy was also attacked by the Turks. 

My Comment:

Fairly huge news from Syria. The Syrian government is finally regaining the territory they have lost since the beginning of the civil war and they are being welcomed back with open arms. This is probably one of the better outcomes for the Assad regime and more then they probably hoped for. I am guessing that after the rebels and jihadists were defeated in Idlib, the Syrian regime would have had to gear up to fight the Kurds. That's not going to happen now. 

However, there is an open question about what the Turks will do if they find themselves confronted with the Syrian regime. The Syrians are, of course, backed by the Russians and the Iranians and any fight between Turkey and Syria could draw those two countries into the war. 

If so, that would be a disaster for Turkey. Nobody is backing their play here and the NATO treaty would not apply. Wars of choice would not apply and their Syria adventure is the very definition of a war of choice. Turkey might be left to face the combined forces of the Kurds, Syria, Iran and Russia all alone. 

It doesn't seem to mater who the Turks anger though. They have been extremely aggressive and have even targeted US troops. It's clear that had President Trump not ordered a withdrawal, US troops would have been caught in the middle and that the Turks would have taken no steps to prevent their deaths. 

Indeed, it's still possible that the Turks could kill or injure US troops. They have already cut off their supply lines, making it much harder to withdraw. These troops are in extreme danger and need to be pulled out to friendlier territory, either in Iraq or the Southeastern part of Syria far from any fighting. And it's not like Turkey is the only threat. They also face threats from the Syrian regime and jihadists fighters. 

Who would win a fight between the Syrian regime and Turkey? It depends on who fights with the regime. Syria's army has been depleted by years of fighting and they have lost much in the way of arms and equipment. Turkey's army is fresh and are equipped with modern NATO weapons. Syria's main advantages are shorter supply lines, battle hardened troops and home turf. Other than that they are outclassed.

If the Russians or Iranians help out though, it will be another story. Russia gives the Syrians a high tech advantage and allows for air support. Iran brings a core of battle hardened fighters that have been bloodied in Iraq and Syria. The Turks would have a much harder time defeating such a combined force. 

But all of this is speculative. We don't know for sure if Turkey and the Syrian regime would come to blows. It's possible that they will reach some kind of diplomatic solution or both sides might simply conclude that fighting each other would be devastating to both sides. We will just have to wait and see. 

Ass for me, I think that this whole situation is terrible. Turkey has somehow once again made the Syrian situation even worse than it was. They have betrayed their American allies and are risking a war with Syria and it's allies as well. And for what? So they can kill more Kurds? I sincerely hope that Turkey pays a high price and am very disappointed that the 2016 coup attempt against Tayipp Erdogan failed.