A U.S. Soldier from the 2nd Platoon, Alpha Company, 1/163rd Combined Arms Battalion, inspects a Bradley M2A3 Fighting Vehicle at Ali Al Salem AB, Jan. 27, 2022. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Chloe Ochs)
The United States-led Coalition deployed additional heavy weapons in northern Syria, defying Turkey’s recent threats to Kurdish forces in the region.
On December 13, photos of the reinforcements surfaced online. The photos showed several M777 towed 155 mm howitzers. Local sources in northern Syria said that additional M2A3 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles were also brought in.
The M777 has a maximum rate of fire of seven rounds per minute with a range of up to 40 kilometers when firing Excalibur precision-guided rounds.
The Bradley vehicle is armed with a 25 mm M242 chain gun, a 7.62 mm coaxial M240C machine gun and a dual TOW Anti-Tank Guided Missile, ATGM, launcher. The M2A3 version is equipped with additional armors, a better engine and an improved targeting system.
Click to see full-size image. Via Twitter.
Click to see full-size image. Via Twitter.
Click to see full-size image. Via Twitter.
The U.S.-led coalition maintains several base in northern Syria in cooperation with its local proxy, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), who happens to main the main foe of Turkey in the region.
Turkey launched Operation Claw-Sword against Kurdish forces in Syria and Iraq on November 20 in response to the November 13 bombing in Istanbul. Ankara believes that the Kurdish People’s Protection Units, which is the core faction of the SDF, was involved in the terrorist attack.
Early on in the operation, the SDF halted all joint operations with the U.S.-led coalition to protest repeated Turkish strikes and threats of a new ground invasion. However, the halt ended in less than two weeks.
Turkey has so far limited Operation Claw-Sword to few air and artillery strikes. In a recent interview, SDF leader Ferhat Abdi Şahin said that pressure from the U.S. and even Russian prevented Ankara from launching a full-blown invasion.
The U.S. has condemned the recent bombing in Istanbul, and stressed support for Turkey, a key NATO member. However, it appears to be that Washington favors its Kurdish allies over Ankara when it comes to Syria. This will likely push the Turkish government towards more cooperation with Russia, and possibly the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad.
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