US President Trump wants to withdraw the US soldiers stationed in Syria. The Turkish leader Erdogan sees the way clear to proceed against the Syrian-Kurdish militia YPG.
From the perspective of the Turkish leadership, the YPG is an offshoot of the Turkish PKK and thus a terrorist organization. From the point of view of Washington, the YPG is a reliable partner in the fight against the IS terrorist militia. Ankara states that the YPG threatens Turkey’s national security. That is why Turkey, with the participation of Islamist auxiliaries, occupied the Kurdish canton of Afrin in north-western Syria a year ago.
According to the scientific service of the German Bundestag, however, the evidence for the claimed right of self-defense is missing. According to this, Turkey acts as an occupying power in Syria in violation of international law.
