The Vicariate of Aleppo Is Worried at the Turkish Strategy
Mgr Georges Abou Khazen.
For the Apostolic Vicar of the Latin Rite of Aleppo, Bishop Georges Abou Khazen, the struggle against ISIS is a pretext being used by Ankara’s regime to disguise the pursuit of its fight against the Kurds present on Syrian soil.
Bishop Georges told AsiaNews on January 17, 2019 that the terrorist attack on the same day in Manbij that killed four Americans and over a dozen Syrians, shows that “ISIS has not yet been defeated”; worse yet, the Islamic terrorist organization is, he believes, an ideal pretext for the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan to finish the fight against the Syrian Kurds.
The prelate explained that the ruler of Ankara is seeking to create a 32-kilometer buffer zone north of Syria, from which Turkey can control the territory and attack the Kurds.
Political and economic factors underpin the struggle. The Turkish president wants to hit the Kurds and get his hands on a strategically important territory that is rich in oil and natural resources.
We fear “a new escalation of violence that would block the slow return to normal life,” lamented the Vicar of Aleppo.
Sources: AsiaNews / FSSPX.News – 1/29/2019
