Pakistan backs Turkey's 'incursion' in Syria that alarms ISIS' revival

Pakistan PM Imran Khan held a telephonic conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to extend his solidarity and support for Turkey's military operation against Kurds in north-east Syria. Islamabad's backing for Ankara comes in the wake of heavy denunciation coming from the length and breadth of the world against Turkey, including the US, India, the Arab world, EU powers and others. 

According to reports of Dawn, Pakistan said that it 'fully understand's' Turkey's concerns of terrorism. Pakistan's Prime Minister said, "As a country which has lost more than 70,000 lives due to terrorism and borne the burden of more than 3 million refugees for decades, Pakistan is fully cognisant of the threats and challenges being faced by Turkey having lost 40,000 of its people to terrorism." The Kurdish militants, who aided the US to defeat the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) in north-east Syria, are considered as 'terrorists' in Turkey. 

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International criticism

India, along with the Arab world, European powers, Russia, and the United States stand on the opposite end of the spectrum, against Turkey, on the issue and has called upon Ankara to respect the territorial integrity of Syria. 

On Friday, Ministry of External Affairs raised concerns over the "unilateral military offensive" by Turkey in north-east Syria. It further called upon Turkey to "exercise restraint and respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria." Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar, said, "Turkey’s actions can undermine stability in the region and the fight against terrorism. Its action also has the potential for causing humanitarian and civilian distress."  

On Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded the Turkish Forces, who are 'illegally' deployed in Syria to leave the region, so as to restore the territorial integrity of the country. After a sudden withdrawal and the subsequent criticism, US President Donald Trump threatened to “totally destroy and obliterate the economy of Turkey," over their misadventures in Syria. 

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Meanwhile, even the Arab world, including Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait have called out Turkey for their military endeavors in war-torn Syria post US' departure.  European powers, France and Germany decided to halt their weapon sales to Turkey amid the military confrontation, and along with that, Italy, Netherlands, and Denmark have spoked out against Turkey's operation. 

ISIS revival

The official of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) stated that Turkey's operation has "activated" ISIS in the region.  He said, "The Turkish invasion is no longer threatening the revival of Daesh [ISIL], rather it has revived it and activated its cells in Qamishli and Hassakeh and all the other areas. We are now fighting on two fronts: one front against the Turkish invasion and a front against Daesh (ISIS)."

Taking a shift in their foreign policy, the US withdrew their support from the Kurdish forces to fight against ISIS in the region, six months after Donald Trump stated that "100%" of ISIS' caliphate has been captured. On Friday, the SDF also stated that plenty of ISIS prisoners have escaped the detention facility in northeastern Syria after it was bombed by the Turkish Forces. This comes despite Turkey's assertation that they would not let the ISIS return to the country. 

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