Syria asks Turkey for defense support after sectarian clashes, Turkish officials say
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Syria’s interim government has requested Turkey’s support to strengthen its defense capabilities, Turkish officials said Wednesday, following sectarian violence over the past two weeks that increased tensions in Syria and drew Israeli intervention.
Syria has also sought assistance to combat “terrorist organizations,” including the Islamic State group, said the defense officials, who spoke only on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the issue publicly.
Turkey, which has long expressed readiness to assist Syria, was working toward providing training, advisory services and technical support to help strengthen Syria’s defense capacity, the officials added.
Syrian officials could not be immediately reached for comment.
“As long as our brotherly country, Syria, requests it, Turkey will continue to stand firmly by its side,” Omer Celik, spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party, told reporters when asked to comment on the Syrian request.
“The heroic Turkish armed forces will fulfill this both to assist our Syrian brothers and to prevent instability there, which is vital for Turkey’s national security,” he said.
Tensions escalated in southern Syria last week when violent clashes erupted between Bedouin Arab tribes and minority Druze militias in Sweida province. The conflict triggered Israeli airstrikes on convoys of government forces in Sweida and on the Ministry of Defense headquarters in central Damascus, which Israel justified to protect Druze communities.
The U.S. envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, announced a U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Syria on July 19, which allowed the Syrian government forces to go into Sweida and break up the fighting between the Druze and Bedouins. An earlier ceasefire between Druze factions and government forces broke down. After a second ceasefire, the government forces withdrew from Sweida, but fighting flared again between Druze and Bedouin groups.
Ankara strongly supports Syria’s interim government led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa and has been seeking a defense agreement with Damascus that could reportedly include establishing Turkish military bases on Syrian territory.
Turkey backs the integration of Kurds in the Syrian army
In an interview with The Associated Press earlier this week, Barrack said the U.S. has “no position” on the prospect of a defense pact between Syria and Turkey.
“It’s not in the U.S. business or interest to tell any of the surrounding nations with each other what to do,” he said.
Ankara also backs an agreement reached between the interim Syrian administration and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, to integrate into Syria’s national army. Implementation of the deal has stalled, with a major sticking point being whether the SDF would remain as a cohesive unit in the new army or be dissolved completely.
On Tuesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warned Kurdish and other groups in Syria against exploiting the tensions to pursue autonomy, stating that any attempt to divide Syria would be viewed as a direct threat to Turkey’s national security and could prompt intervention.
Turkey considers the SDF as a terrorist organization because of its association with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which has waged a long-running insurgency in Turkey.
The Turkish officials said Turkey expects the SDF to follow through on its commitments under the agreement, adding that Turkey would be “following” the situation.
The situation in Syria has increased tensions between Turkey and Israel. In April, Israel struck five cities in Syria, including more than a dozen strikes near a strategic air base in the city of Hama, where Turkey reportedly has interests in having a military presence. Israel accused Turkey of trying to build a “protectorate” in Syria.
By SUZAN FRASER
Associated Press
