Why isn't Syria stepping in to take control of Afrin?

[Douger]

When the Turkish invasion of Afrin began, the Kurdish authority of the canton has called for the Syrian government to intervene.
Kurds call on Syrian regime to intervene in Afrin battle
It may seem like a golden opportunity for the government to bring Afrin back under central control and create goodwill with the eastern cantons as well.
So why haven't they done it?

Here are some of my thoughts on that question.

For one, it's simply too late. There were negotiations for Syria to retake control of Afrin while Turkey was merely sabre rattling, but that deal came to nothing because YPG refused to let Syrian security forces enter. Now that the Turks are actually invading YPG wants the Syrian government to literally go to war with Turkey for them. If they had let the government in earlier, this whole thing could have ended with som artillery duels and a border stand off as happened last year in Manbij.

Second, the last time Syria did this, and sent troops to guard the border of Manbij with Turkish/FSA area, Syrian soldiers died in the ensuing Turkish attacks and YPG showed their gratitude by teaming up with the United States to seize Raqqa, Tabqa and the oil fields east of the Euphrates ahead of the Syrian army advance. They really threw away a lot of good will figuring they didn't need the Syrian government anymore as now they had the US to protect them. Ooops!

And thirdly, Syria is already heavily engaged against Turkey's proxy forces in Idlib, Hama, Damascus, and Deir Ezzor. Don't think Turkey isn't coordinating with the factions to put pressure on Damascus while they invade.

 

[redleghunter]

When the Turkish invasion of Afrin began, the Kurdish authority of the canton has called for the Syrian government to intervene.
Kurds call on Syrian regime to intervene in Afrin battle
It may seem like a golden opportunity for the government to bring Afrin back under central control and create goodwill with the eastern cantons as well.
So why haven't they done it?

Here are some of my thoughts on that question.

For one, it's simply too late. There were negotiations for Syria to retake control of Afrin while Turkey was merely sabre rattling, but that deal came to nothing because YPG refused to let Syrian security forces enter. Now that the Turks are actually invading YPG wants the Syrian government to literally go to war with Turkey for them. If they had let the government in earlier, this whole thing could have ended with som artillery duels and a border stand off as happened last year in Manbij.

Second, the last time Syria did this, and sent troops to guard the border of Manbij with Turkish/FSA area, Syrian soldiers died in the ensuing Turkish attacks and YPG showed their gratitude by teaming up with the United States to seize Raqqa, Tabqa and the oil fields east of the Euphrates ahead of the Syrian army advance. They really threw away a lot of good will figuring they didn't need the Syrian government anymore as now they had the US to protect them. Ooops!

And thirdly, Syria is already heavily engaged against Turkey's proxy forces in Idlib, Hama, Damascus, and Deir Ezzor. Don't think Turkey isn't coordinating with the factions to put pressure on Damascus while they invade.

Thanks for the update.

 

[Douger]

Thanks for the update.

Thanks for reading.

 

[mindlight]

When the Turkish invasion of Afrin began, the Kurdish authority of the canton has called for the Syrian government to intervene.
Kurds call on Syrian regime to intervene in Afrin battle
It may seem like a golden opportunity for the government to bring Afrin back under central control and create goodwill with the eastern cantons as well.
So why haven't they done it?

Here are some of my thoughts on that question.

For one, it's simply too late. There were negotiations for Syria to retake control of Afrin while Turkey was merely sabre rattling, but that deal came to nothing because YPG refused to let Syrian security forces enter. Now that the Turks are actually invading YPG wants the Syrian government to literally go to war with Turkey for them. If they had let the government in earlier, this whole thing could have ended with som artillery duels and a border stand off as happened last year in Manbij.

Second, the last time Syria did this, and sent troops to guard the border of Manbij with Turkish/FSA area, Syrian soldiers died in the ensuing Turkish attacks and YPG showed their gratitude by teaming up with the United States to seize Raqqa, Tabqa and the oil fields east of the Euphrates ahead of the Syrian army advance. They really threw away a lot of good will figuring they didn't need the Syrian government anymore as now they had the US to protect them. Ooops!

And thirdly, Syria is already heavily engaged against Turkey's proxy forces in Idlib, Hama, Damascus, and Deir Ezzor. Don't think Turkey isn't coordinating with the factions to put pressure on Damascus while they invade.

This whole area is a mess of bad decisions and dangerous antagonisms. Assads ambition is for eventual control of all Syria and that includes the Kurdish bits. Turkey wants to destroy the Kurds and eliminate all possibility of a Kurdish state in Syria or Iraq. Assad probably reasons the Turks will destroy the fighting effectiveness of the Kurds and then withdraw leaving him with an easy takeover.

If any people in the Middle East deserve their own state then it is the Kurds. I hate that we consider Turkey so crucial an ally that we turn a blind eye to its abuses. It is has afterall been pretty much a useless ally recently.

The Americans seem prepared to defend their Kurdish allies against Syrian attacks but not Turkish ones

Syria condemns US air strike as massacre