THE WAR OF ALL AGAINST ALL

Caliphate began a war against Turkey

On July 23 the murder of Turkish military as a result of shelling between Turkey border police and the militants of the Islamic State announced a new situation in the Middle East. The next day, the Turkish Air Force bombed the base of the Islamists in the north of Syria, moreover, was allowed to use the air base Incirlik against the IS.

Yet in spring the Islamists began to declare that they claim to the territory of Turkey and do not recognize the Turkish Republic. On July 18, after Friday prayers, they called on the faithful to declare war on the government of Turkey. On July 20, after the terrorist attack in Surundzh, when in Kurdish-populated city 30 people were killed and 100 injured, the situation got out of control. And Turkey, from logistics provider of IS has become one of its obvious victims, which is the result of political short-sightedness of the Turkish authorities.

Yet in 2011, Prime Minister Erdoghan hit on the idea of transformation of the country into a leader of the Islamic world. However, his plans have disappeared in Syria, when President Assad was backed by Russia, Iran and “Hezbollah”, and the US and NATO did not entered the war.

Turkish ruling elite enthusiastically adopted the declaration of an Islamic caliphate in the hope that the formation of this structure will accelerate coveted for her developments. But the honeymoon was short, Islamists came up with new demands. They already do not hide their claims against Turkey. Turkish leadership was in a dilemma: either to accept the demands of the IS or sacrifice the country’s sovereignty for the sake of internal peace and stability.

Leaders of IS partially achieved their goal: the explosion made a great concern in the Kurdish-populated areas of Turkey, clashes started, and even pro-government Kurds expressed their dissatisfaction that the Turkish political elite has no control over the country. Because of the indifferent attitude of the state towards the victims and their families a great mass of the Turkish public opposed the authorities. Growing domestic political crisis forced Erdoghan and his entourage to find new ways of salvation. And help came from the outside – President Barack Obama expressed his willingness to maintain the fight against the Islamists. In response, Turkey has allowed the US Air Force to use Incirlik Airport.

Now Ankara is forced to act on two fronts. For Turkish political elite it is clear that the initiators of a new tension in Turkish Kurdistan are just local structures of IS. To make the situation under control, the Turkish Air Force bombed the bases of militants of both, the IS, and the Kurds. Ankara is also ready to land operations. Erdoghan is trying to get dividends even from serious danger to his own state, without abandoning plans at any price to put Syria under its subordination.

In fact, in Syria, Iraq, and today already in Turkey with the participation of Turkish, Islamic, Asad and Kurdish militants a funny situation is created – “a war of all against all.” And the indirect participants in this situation may be all the players in the region.

BAGRAT MOVSESYAN