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Turkey’s Offensive in Ayn Issa, Syria: Analysis & U.S. Policy Implications

On December 18, 2020, Turkish forces and proxies began attacking the Syrian city of Ayn Issa, currently held by the Syrian Democratic Forces. Although Ankara has not released any public statement about the nature or intent of their operations, this could mark the beginning of a coordinated offensive to retake other SDF-held towns, such as Manbij or Kobane. This policy memo from JINSA staff provides background, ongoing developments, analysis of possible Turkish objectives, and implications for U.S. policy.

Click here to read the memo.

JINSA Staff Contributors

Blaise Misztal
Vice President for Policy

Jonathan Ruhe
Director of Foreign Policy

Ari Cicurel
Senior Policy Analyst

Erielle Davidson
Senior Policy Analyst

Shiri Moshe
Senior Policy Analyst


This brief was made possible by the generous support of the Gettler Family Foundation and a portion of the research was conducted on the Benjamin Gettler International Policy Trip.