ANKARA – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on December 13 called on Turkey to intensify efforts to prevent a resurgence of the ISIS group in Syria following the dramatic fall of President Bashar al-Assad.
During a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, Mr. Blinken emphasized the need for continued vigilance against ISIS. “Our country worked very hard and gave a lot over many years to ensure the elimination of the territorial caliphate of ISIS, to ensure that threat doesn’t rear its head again. It’s imperative we keep at those efforts,” he said.
Mr. Erdogan assured Mr. Blinken that Turkey remains resolute in its fight against ISIS, despite its simultaneous operations targeting Kurdish-led forces in Syria, which Ankara views as a threat to its national security. “Turkey will never allow any weakness to arise in the fight against ISIS,” Mr. Erdogan said.
Turkey has launched a new offensive against the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a U.S.-backed group pivotal in the 2019 defeat of ISIS’s caliphate. This has heightened tensions between the two NATO allies over their differing priorities in Syria. While Washington views the SDF as critical to preventing an ISIS resurgence, Ankara sees it as linked to the outlawed PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party).
As Islamist-led HTS rebels seized Damascus and ended Assad’s five-decade rule, Turkey and its proxies sought to exploit the power vacuum, launching operations against Kurdish fighters. Analysts suggest Ankara may be positioning itself to play a dominant role in Syria’s future while continuing its campaign against ISIS.
Mr. Faik Bulut, a Kurdish affairs expert, noted Turkey’s strategic maneuvering. “Erdogan is likely seeking to consolidate influence in the region, presenting Turkey as a pivotal player in both defeating ISIS and reshaping the post-Assad landscape,” he said.
The talks between Mr. Blinken and Turkish officials underscore the complex dynamics between NATO allies as they navigate the shifting Syrian conflict and prioritize their competing interests in the region.