Turkey playing dual role in Syria’s conflict: Analyst

Turkey has blamed Daesh for the deaths of scores of civilians in the Syrian town of al-Bab, saying the people were killed as they were seeking to flee the flashpoint city which is encircled by the Turkish army and militants in Syria.

Turkey is in the middle of a military operation to capture al-Bab from Daesh. Ankara, which started its incursion into Syria in August, claims that it is only supporting the militants in northern Syria in the drive against Daesh. However, reports over the past days have suggested that Turkish troops have been directly involved in the battle in al-Bab.

A political analyst and documentary maker believes Turkey is playing a dual role with regard to Daesh and the recent developments in Syria, adding that it is trying to save face in a situation where the Syrian army is winning on the ground.

“Turkey is trying to play a constructive role together with Russia and Iran in a way to negotiate a solution for Syria and this is happening at a diplomatic level … So Turkey is trying to save face in a sense that they were promoting certain policy before they want to be seen as being on side of the rebels that they have supported in the past,” Boris Malagurski told Press TV in an interview on Monday.  

He also stated Turkey is a little upset that things did not go the way it planned in the conflict in Syria war but it has realized that the “legitimate” Syrian army is the only force that can put an end to this war.  

The analyst further opined that Russia and Iran are playing a very constructive role in ending the war in Syria.

However, he said, Turkey is after its own interests in Syria despite claiming it wants to come to a peaceful resolution together with other major players in the region – namely Russia and Iran.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Malagurski noted the reason why Daesh is behaving more aggressively than before is because it is losing the war on the ground with the liberation of the Syrian city of Aleppo.

“They [Daesh terrorists] are going down and trying to take as many civilians down with them and I think it is a very dangerous moment for anybody in the region who is hoping to survive this terrible conflict and unfortunately everything should be prioritized in the sense of saving as many civilians in the region as possible,” he said.    

The analyst further expressed hope that Turkey will stop its incursions into Syria, committing itself to fully play a constructive role in ending this horrible war that has displaced millions of people and caused a lot of suffering and damage.

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