WSJ: Türkiye Builds Up Forces Along Syria Border, Preparing For Major Offensive

The force includes rebel fighters, Turkish commandos, and a large amount of artillery.

Senior U.S. officials say Türkiye and its militia allies are building up forces along the border with Syria, raising alarm that Ankara is preparing for a large-scale military operation.

This is reported by The Wall Street Journal.

It is noted that the forces include militia fighters, Turkish uniformed commandos and artillery in large numbers that are concentrated near Ain al-Arab.

One of the officials says that the buildup, which began after Bashar al-Assad’s regime fell in early December, appears similar to Turkish military moves ahead of its 2019 invasion of northeast Syria.

“We are focused on it and pressing for restraint,” another of the U.S. officials said.

The publication notes that Ilham Ahmed, an official in the Syrian Kurds’ civilian administration, told President-elect Donald Trump on Monday, December 16 that a Turkish military operation appeared likely, urging him to press Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan not to send troops across the border.

“Türkiye’s goal is to “establish de facto control over our land before you take office, forcing you to engage with them as rulers of our territory,” Ahmed wrote to Trump in a letter viewed by The Wall Street Journal. “If Türkiye proceeds with its invasion, the consequences will be catastrophic.”

The publication adds that the U.S.-brokered cease-fire talks between the Syrian Kurds and Turkish-backed rebels in Kobani collapsed on Monday without an agreement, according to a spokesman for the Syrian Democratic Forces. The SDF is now seeing “significant military buildups” east and west of the city, the spokesman said.

“From across the border, we can already see Turkish forces amassing, and our civilians live under the constant fear of imminent death and destruction,” Ahmed wrote to Trump.

Moreover, Trump insinuated on Monday that Turkey orchestrated Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s takeover of Syria, the publication reminds.

The journalists underline that during his first term, Trump partially withdrew U.S. troops from northeast Syria, paving the way for a large-scale Turkish invasion that killed and displaced hundreds of thousands of Syrians. The Trump administration eventually helped broker a cease-fire.

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