Technoglitch
Core Member
Where will the Turkish announcement about Saudis sending their troops to a Turkish airbase and planning a ground operation in Syria lead? RT asked experts about the effects of such an operation.
Turkey confirmed that Saudi Arabia will send military personnel and fighter jets to Turkey’s Incirlik base located on the Syrian border to fight ISIS. Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also said Saturday that both Ankara and Riyadh are ready to launch a ground operation in Syria. The announcement came shortly after the Munich Security Conference, where major powers made a decision to implement the so-called “cessation of hostilities” in Syria. Reportedly, the agreement will come into force only next week. The parties also agreed to provide access to humanitarian aid in the conflict areas.
Political commentator Marwa Osman shared her opinion on this issue with RT.
RT: Both Saudi Arabia and Turkey say they want the removal of the Syrian president. If they are to defeat Islamic State, what are they actually aiming to achieve with this possible ground incursion into Syria?
Marwa Osman: First of all, let us ask why this ground incursion is to be taking place right now or in a couple of weeks. Why now, not four years ago, or two years ago, or when Russia began its intervention inside Syria? It is happening now because of the Aleppo gains for the Syrian Arab Army along with its allies and with the Russian army as well, in the air bombing the sites of ISIS and the sites of other terrorist groups. That is why they are very much concerned about getting their planes right now and getting their soldiers right now on the ground in Syria. But there is a big difference between getting the planes in the air and getting the soldiers – having their boots on Syrian soil.
When we listen to the Turkish Foreign Minister and also to the military spokespeople – for example, Saudi [Ahmed] Al-Assiri, spokesperson for the military – when they say that we have to take out Assad first in order to take ISIS out – that is just complete nonsense... The Syrian Arab Army, which is led by President Bashar al-Assad, is the only force on the ground along with their allies who are fighting ISIS. You want to try and weaken the only system that is fighting ISIS? What kind of fight that would be? What kind of war would that be? They obviously are in paranoia for losing some parts of Aleppo for the sake of the Syrian Arab Army. They are obviously very much aggravated and frustrated about the fact that Russia has managed to stop the rout of the insurgents to the terrorists inside of Syria that are coming from Turkey.
Erdogan has time and again said that Russia has been taking the lead and he doesn’t like it. And now we hear the foreign minister saying that they might start some sort of invasion inside of Syria. But that would not be very easy. And I don’t think that the US is ready for this right now, because of what we have heard in Munich. We heard [John] Kerry and we heard Sergey Lavrov as well, saying that they might have complete certain agreement to have a ceasefire within a week or so. But again, who will control the people on the ground? If the Russian side has the agreement from the Syrian government, who will control ISIS, or who will control the other terrorists? The West is there to control it. Then we have big questions here: Why are they able to pressure them and control them and not be able to stop them from terrorizing people…
Turkish, Saudi troops in Syria would be ‘catastrophic’ — RT Op-Edge
Turkey confirmed that Saudi Arabia will send military personnel and fighter jets to Turkey’s Incirlik base located on the Syrian border to fight ISIS. Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also said Saturday that both Ankara and Riyadh are ready to launch a ground operation in Syria. The announcement came shortly after the Munich Security Conference, where major powers made a decision to implement the so-called “cessation of hostilities” in Syria. Reportedly, the agreement will come into force only next week. The parties also agreed to provide access to humanitarian aid in the conflict areas.
Political commentator Marwa Osman shared her opinion on this issue with RT.
RT: Both Saudi Arabia and Turkey say they want the removal of the Syrian president. If they are to defeat Islamic State, what are they actually aiming to achieve with this possible ground incursion into Syria?
Marwa Osman: First of all, let us ask why this ground incursion is to be taking place right now or in a couple of weeks. Why now, not four years ago, or two years ago, or when Russia began its intervention inside Syria? It is happening now because of the Aleppo gains for the Syrian Arab Army along with its allies and with the Russian army as well, in the air bombing the sites of ISIS and the sites of other terrorist groups. That is why they are very much concerned about getting their planes right now and getting their soldiers right now on the ground in Syria. But there is a big difference between getting the planes in the air and getting the soldiers – having their boots on Syrian soil.
When we listen to the Turkish Foreign Minister and also to the military spokespeople – for example, Saudi [Ahmed] Al-Assiri, spokesperson for the military – when they say that we have to take out Assad first in order to take ISIS out – that is just complete nonsense... The Syrian Arab Army, which is led by President Bashar al-Assad, is the only force on the ground along with their allies who are fighting ISIS. You want to try and weaken the only system that is fighting ISIS? What kind of fight that would be? What kind of war would that be? They obviously are in paranoia for losing some parts of Aleppo for the sake of the Syrian Arab Army. They are obviously very much aggravated and frustrated about the fact that Russia has managed to stop the rout of the insurgents to the terrorists inside of Syria that are coming from Turkey.
Erdogan has time and again said that Russia has been taking the lead and he doesn’t like it. And now we hear the foreign minister saying that they might start some sort of invasion inside of Syria. But that would not be very easy. And I don’t think that the US is ready for this right now, because of what we have heard in Munich. We heard [John] Kerry and we heard Sergey Lavrov as well, saying that they might have complete certain agreement to have a ceasefire within a week or so. But again, who will control the people on the ground? If the Russian side has the agreement from the Syrian government, who will control ISIS, or who will control the other terrorists? The West is there to control it. Then we have big questions here: Why are they able to pressure them and control them and not be able to stop them from terrorizing people…
Turkish, Saudi troops in Syria would be ‘catastrophic’ — RT Op-Edge
