Turkey's Plan to Combat Islamic State

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Video originally published on February 10, 2025.

Turkey has announced a new plan to combat jihadist extremism in the Middle East, which could have far-reaching implications for regional power dynamics. The plan involves cooperation with Jordan, Syria, and Iraq to combat the Islamic State, and comes as Turkey seeks to expand its role as a regional power.

Key Takeaways

Turkey has announced a new plan to combat the Islamic State in cooperation with Jordan, Syria, and Iraq.
The plan involves coordination of military and intelligence operations, strengthening regional borders, and more.
Turkey's initiative could enhance its role as a regional power and impact its relationships with Arab nations.
The new plan could have significant implications for the Kurdish-led forces of autonomous north and east Syria, known as Rojava.
The US is considering withdrawing its troops from Syria, which could lead to a power vacuum that Turkey's plan may fill.
The Islamic State has been resurgent in the Middle East, particularly in Syria and Iraq, where state authorities are minimally present.

Turkey's New Initiative

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced that his country has reached an agreement with Jordan, Syria, and Iraq to directly combat the Islamic State. The agreement involves cooperation and coordination of military and intelligence operations, strengthening regional borders, and more. The details of the plan are scarce, but Fidan stated that the nations would soon hold a multilateral meeting to further their joint effort. According to Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, speaking with Turkey’s state-owned news organization Anadolu, Turkey has reached an agreement with three other Middle Eastern nations to directly combat the Islamic State. In his February Second remarks about the plan, Foreign Minister Fidan tied the new multilateral initiative between Turkey, Jordan, Iraq, and Syria directly to the United States’ ability to cut ties with Rojava and the SDF. Fidan’s statements echoed a prior comment made at a news conference in Qatar, several days prior, when Fidan and Qatar’s Prime Minister jointly announced that Syria’s new leaders would take responsibility for Islamic State prisoners on its soil.

Implications for Kurdish Rojava

The new initiative could have significant implications for the Kurdish-led forces of autonomous north and east Syria, known as Rojava. Turkey considers Rojava an adversary and has been pressuring the international community to disengage from agreements with the Kurds. If American support for Rojava dries up, the Kurds may abandon Islamic State prisons, which could lead to a resurgence of the group. In the wake of Assad’s ouster, it’s been the Kurdish-led forces of autonomous north and east Syria, better known as Rojava, who’ve been regarded internationally as the best hope at keeping the Islamic State in check. But Turkey considers Kurdish Rojava an adversary, it’s been pressuring the rest of the world to disengage from agreements with the Kurds, and it’s been trying to goad the new Syrian government into taking harsh measures against them. On one side, the new Syrian government has been significantly more willing to work with Rojava than Turkey has been, meaning that if Turkey gets more heavily involved in matters of Syrian security, Damascus may be less able to work with the Kurds how it would want to.

Regional Power Dynamics

Turkey's plan could enhance its role as a regional power and impact its relationships with Arab nations. The initiative could also lead to major changes in both Kurdish Rojava and the Syrian government. For Syria, engagement with Turkey in this matter is a double-edged sword, as it may be less able to work with the Kurds as it would like. Alongside the ramifications for the United States, Turkey’s efforts will likely lead to major changes in both Kurdish Rojava, and the Syrian government. On February the fifth, Turkey’s foreign minister announced that his country has a new plan to combat jihadist extremism in the Middle East, but it’s the potential for that plan to cause much broader change in Turkey’s favor, that we’re going to explore today. Next up, we travel to the nation of Turkey, to focus in on the Ankara leadership’s efforts to expand their role as a regional power while squeezing the Kurds of autonomous Rojava in Syria.

Military Cooperation and Challenges

The military cooperation between Turkey, Jordan, Syria, and Iraq could be significant, with each nation bringing different strengths to the table. Turkey has a large and well-equipped military, while Syria has experienced manpower. Jordan's army brings highly regarded special operators, and Iraq brings hundreds of main battle tanks. However, there are also challenges to the initiative, including the potential for internal strife and the risk of failure. Those three nations, Jordan, Syria, and Iraq, have apparently reached an early-stage agreement to cooperate and cross-coordinate military and intelligence operations, strengthen regional borders, and more. Jordan’s army brings highly regarded special operators and all sorts of US-made kit that’s been proven effective against the Islamic State, while Iraq brings hundreds of main battle tanks that are, quite frankly, more expendable than Turkey’s, and easier to replace, while still being a tank used against an insurgency with few weapons capable of stopping them.

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Jackson Reed

Jackson Reed creates and presents analysis focused on military doctrine, strategic competition, and conflict dynamics.

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