U.S. and allied forces say that they could attack the Syrian city of Raqqa—the capital of the ISIS terrorist group’s self-proclaimed caliphate—within weeks, according to U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter.
Just weeks ago, Iraqi forces with the support of some 5,000 U.S. troops launched a major offensive against Mosul, which is considered to be the terror group’s primary financial and operations hub in Iraq.
In Raqqa, the United States will rely on Kurdish forces to carry out the main offensive.
But the push into deeper Syrian territory could exacerbate the complex tensions among the major players in the conflict, mainly the Kurds and the Turkish forces.
The Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) have been the most unified force for the United States in Syria. But any operation with YPG to take on ISIS in Raqqa could strain relations with Turkey.
“If the Kurdish YPG take the lead and play a serious role in the battle for Raqqa, that will make Turkey very nervous and it would be hard to see Turkey fully cooperate within the coalition,” said Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
The Kurdish YPG is the armed wing of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), the sister organization of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is considered a terrorist group by both Turkey and the United States.
Further gains in Syria by the YPG could inspire the Kurds to push for autonomy within Syria, which is unacceptable for Turkey, according to Gartenstein-Ross.
“Turkey wants to put a barrier to how far the Kurdish YPG can gain influence,” he said.
