Turkish military sources suggest they might launch a military operation against the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Syria this summer.
The goal? To block local elections planned for next week, pushed back by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) to August.
At the same time, the Turkish opposition keeps pushing for an investigation into a Turkish military leader’s alleged involvement in smuggling Syrians across the border in his official vehicle.
The big question: Were any of those smuggled members of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), a key part of the SDF, which Türkiye sees as a terrorist group linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)?
According to Abdulqadir Selvi, a writer for the Turkish daily “Hürriyet,” Türkiye could face a tense summer in Syria.
If Türkiye can't coordinate with regional players to delay elections in areas controlled by the SDF until August, military action might be considered.
Selvi says Türkiye is ready for both possibilities. He mentioned that the PKK plans to hold local elections with US support in August in the Syrian areas it controls.
Although the US opposed the original June 11 elections, it didn’t call them “illegitimate.”
The Kurdish-led AANES postponed the local elections scheduled for June 11 to August.
The polls aim to choose municipal leaders and council members across 1,792 centers in seven cantons under its influence in northern and northeastern Syria.
The AANES announced the postponement in response to requests from political parties and alliances involved in the electoral process.
They emphasized the need for a democratic election and cited the tight campaign schedule as the reason. Four parties and alliances have called for the delay.
