US Claims Its Syria Proxy Force Is 100,000-Strong as Turkey Threatens to Invade
US Claims Its Syria Proxy Force Is 100,000-Strong as Turkey Threatens to Invade by Marko Marjanović for Check Point Asia
Possibility of a NATO-on-NATO war? Low but not impossible
As Turkey builds up forces along the border with Kurdish-held northern and eastern Syria and threatens to invade, the Pentagon says it will “prevent” such a thing and advertises that its proxies in Syria number 100,000 and will soon rise to 110,000:
According to the report @CJTFOIR plans to “help increase the overall (Syria) partner force size by 10%,” to include the Syrian Democratic Forces, Provincial Internal Security Forces & the Internal Security Forces (of Raqqah, Manbij, & Dayr az
Zawr). Current strength is ~100,000 https://t.co/akg1RYJup8— Ryan Browne (@rabrowne75) August 6, 2019
By comparison the Turkish-sponsored Syrian “rebel” fighters who have said are ready to take part in the Turkish push number just 14,000.
The American 100,000 figure is inflated by incorporating police bodies, and Arab formations, which have less interest in fighting for Kurdish hegemony over northern and eastern Syria.
Realistically the Kurds have some 60,000 fighters at their disposal. A respectable force but lightly equipped, and stretched thin along long lines of control vs Turkey in the north, Syrian army in the west, and some ISIS remnants in the south.
Battle-hardened Kurds could cause the mechanized Turks many headaches but couldn’t ultimately stop them. Meanwhile should the US stand and fight rather than bolt, it is the Turks who would find themselves in trouble if only because the US made its wrath felt elsewhere.
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