100 days after launch of Operation Euphrates Shield

Turkey took action on Aug. 24 against the “terror corridor" attempted to be built on its 911-kilometer border with Syria and launched Operation Euphrates Shield, backing the Free Syrian Army (FSA), to clear the area of Daesh elements. To date, the FSA has taken control over an area of 2,000 square kilometers with the support of the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF). The primary target of the operation is to gain control over al-Bab, which is of critical importance for the Daesh terrorist organization.

The Syrian civil war that started in 2011 led to a great power vacuum in the region, paving the way for the Daesh and Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)-affiliated Democratic Union Party (PYD) terrorist organizations to take control. This, in addition to the massacres of the Syrian people by the Assad regime, eventually imposed a threat on the security of Turkey, a neighbor to two different terrorist organizations in a region close to its borders.

Turkey has been requesting a “safe zone" or “no-fly zone" against the Assad regime's attacks ever since the war in Syria commenced. Despite Turkey's warnings that it will not allow a PKK/PYD settlement at its borders, the U.S. administration, reducing its Syrian policy to fighting Daesh alone, is supporting the PKK/PYD terrorist organization in the region under the pretext of this fight, far from taking into consideration Turkey's sensitivities in the region.

On Aug. 24, Daesh targets in Jarablus were hit from both land and air under the Operation Euphrates Shield, which was initially aimed to sweep Jarablus of the terrorist organization. Turkish tanks entered Jarablus upon the elimination of Daesh targets in the region on the first day of the operation. The 1,500-strong opposition FSA, composed of the Sultan Murat Brigade, Shukr al-Jabar, the Damascus Front and Faylaq al-Sham forces, was also involved in the operation.

In addition to eliminating the Daesh targets in the region, on Aug. 29, the PKK/PYD was also repelled to the south of Sajur River, leaving control of the area to the Turkey-backed FSA forces.

With al-Bab declared as the fundamental target of the operation within the scope of the Euphrates Shield, since it has strategic importance for Daesh, the FSA, continuing to advance through Azaz in the west, also cleared al-Rai of the Daesh terrorist organization. By Sept. 1, Turkey's Kilis-Gaziantep border was completely purged and the control of the Azaz-Jarablus line was completely taken from Daesh. Turning toward al-Bab, on Sept. 19, FSA forces took complete control in Mare, Azaz, Jarablus, al-Rai and its vicinities. Following the purge of Daesh from the region, the PKK/PYD's advance from the north has also been stopped.

Being concerned with the FSA's quick advance to al-Bab, both the Assad regime and PKK/PYD united at a common ground. While the Assad regime considers al-Bab being taken over by the FSA as a threat to its presence in the region, the PKK/PYD considered it as a great blow on its goal to establish a corridor in the region. As a result, the regime and terrorist organization which have long been in an implied alliance have come closer.

The regime, activating its air defense systems in the region, threatened Turkish aircraft. This action, which had a negative impact on the Operation Euphrates Shield, gained power for the PKK/PYD. Meanwhile, the FSA started fighting on two fronts, against the PYD and Daesh. When Daesh started to withdraw from the regions to the area in which the PYD was advancing, the PKK/PYD took action after Oct. 19 to open a corridor aimed at al-Bab. As a result, FSA forces took action against the PKK/PYD, which was attempting to open this corridor from the south, and took control of some villages along the al-Bab route.

The PKK/PYD's advance to al-Bab from the west was stopped on Nov. 8-10. The FSA's proximity to al-Bab dropped to 10 kilometers. With increased speed in its advance until Nov. 14, the FSA came as close as 3 kilometers to al-Bab. On Nov. 15, the TAF started its airstrikes again in Syria and hit Daesh targets in regions near al-Bab. In response to the FSA's rapid advance, the PKK/PYD started to move toward al-Bab through Manbij, the region where the Obama administration had said, “the PYD has withdrawn." The terrorist organization was stopped from advancing any further upon the air operation organized by the TAF.

FSA forces continued to advance after Nov. 17 and approached al-Bab. With 1 kilometer left to al-Bab, the clashes between the FSA and Daesh started to intensify. On Nov. 24, the Assad regime organized an airstrike against Turkish soldiers who were in the region to lead the Operation Euphrates Shield, martyring three soldiers and injuring another 10. The TAF further increased its operations in the region after this attack, with the operation aimed at slowing Daesh's speed.