The United States and Russia may now have some common cause in Syria, which could be detrimental to Turkey's ambitions in the region. U.S. forces in the Kobani and al-Hasaka cantons were recently deployed along the Turkey-Syria border to buffer between battling Turkish armed forces and Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG). It appears Russia is planning similar measures in the Afrin canton, in effect blocking Turkey from pursuing its campaign against its Kurdish foes in Syria. How did it come to this? On April 25, the Turkish air force carried out several strikes on YPG and Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) targets in Syria and Iraq, highlighting Turkey's continued efforts to attack and disrupt the Kurdish forces it opposes despite the end of Operation Euphrates Shield , Turkey's military maneuver in Syria.