Turkey Announces Invasion of Syria: Obama Takes Erdogan's Threats Seriously

US President Barack Obama has taken seriously the threats of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to invade Syria following bombings by Syrian Kurds in Ankara, writes "The Independent", reports the Patria News Agency.

The war in Syria has reached its peak, and after the February 17 bombing in Ankara, which killed 28 people, Turkey is threatening military action in Syria in retaliation, writes the author of the text, Middle East correspondent Patrick Cockburn.

Obama spent an hour and 20 minutes talking with Erdogan on Friday, calling for restraint.

The US President is aware of how easily the US, or any other foreign power intervening in Syria, Iraq, or Afghanistan, can get drawn into local conflicts and disputes, Cockburn assessed.

"The Turks and Saudis are always trying to push the US into a ground operation in Syria, but they themselves do not intend to launch a large-scale military intervention," a former high-ranking diplomat in the Middle East told The Independent.

The US knows that any Turkish military action in Syria would be primarily directed at Syrian Kurds and fighters from the People's Protection Units (YPG), who have been the most reliable US allies in the fight against the Islamic State.

During his conversation with Erdogan, Obama reportedly said that the YPG should not use the victories of the Syrian army in the north of the country, which are taking place with the support of Russian airstrikes, to achieve its goals and capture more territory.

However, precisely while the two leaders were talking, the Syrian Democratic Forces, another name for the YPG, captured an important ISIL base in Shadadeh, with the help of US airstrikes.

There is another reason why the US will not abandon its military alliance with the Syrian Kurds, says the author of the text.