After years of the US arming and supporting the various Syrian rebels, they could quickly become a big problem, and a heavily armed enemy, as the rebel commanders say they are ready to join Turkey’s oft-threatened invasion of Syrian Kurdistan.



The US has opposed a Turkish invasion of this area, and has kept American ground troops there to try to deter Turkey. Turkey has made clear they intend to ultimately carry this operation out, however, and they’ll have some 14,000 rebels with them.



This was always going to be an issue because Turkey has a problem with the Kurds. That the US-backed Kurdish invasion of ISIS territory left them in control of historical Arab territory has also got the rebels seeing this as an opportunity to get some land.



Kurdish officials are urging international intervention to keep Turkey out, saying they believe that the Erdogan government will invade the first chance they get without something preventing them from doing so.



Author: Jason Ditz Jason Ditz is news editor of Antiwar.com. View all posts by Jason Ditz