A member of the Kurdish Internal Security Police Force of Asayish stands guard at a market in the northeastern Syrian city of Qamishli on Aug. 5. Turkey is impatient to begin an incursion into Syrian areas like Qamishli.
Editor's Note : The withdrawal of U.S. forces from areas of northeastern Syria opened the door for Turkey to proceed with its long-planned operation against Kurdish militias by reducing the risk of a clash with its ally's troops. This assessment originally published Aug. 7 examines the implications of the incursion, which has now reportedly begun . He's made the threat before, but this time, it might just be the real thing. On Aug. 6, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated his warnings that Turkey is poised to launch a military operation against the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) east of the Euphrates River in northeastern Syria. The latest note came two days after Erdogan said Ankara had already notified both the United States and Russia of its plans. This is certainly not Turkey's first warning of an impending offensive in northeastern Syria.
