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Syria's al-Julani Refuses Erdogan's Demands to Move Against Syrian Kurds

(JNS) Dr. Harold Rhode - Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is encountering significant difficulties with Abu Muhammad al-Julani and his forces in Syria. Erdogan had initially supported Julani's group, providing training, arms, uniforms and resources. Over the years, al-Julani shifted his rhetoric and public image, claiming to have abandoned his Islamist extremism. However, his forces continued to act with brutality against non-Sunni populations, casting doubt on his claimed transformation. Al-Julani's forces have carried out atrocities against Christians, Alawites and Druze populations in Syria. Erdogan's support for al-Julani was partly driven by his desire to weaken the American-backed Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria. However, al-Julani has refused Erdogan's demands to redirect his forces against the Syrian Kurds, citing exhaustion and overstretched resources. This refusal is a direct affront to Erdogan, who expected al-Julani to act as an extension of Turkish influence in Syria. Erdogan's vision of a neo-Ottoman sphere - with Turkey at its center - clashes with al-Julani's apparent ambition to restore the Umayyad Caliphate, which historically ruled from Damascus. For now, Erdogan faces the consequences of empowering an ally whose ambitions may ultimately undermine his own. The writer, a fellow of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, served as an adviser on the Islamic world for the U.S. Department of Defense for 28 years.
2024-12-31 00:00:00
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