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1 1 (January 2, 2025)

handle is hein.crs/govervw0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional A ~Research Service Turkey (Tiurkiye) in Syria: Key U.S. Policy Issues Updated January 2, 2025 Turkey (alt. Tiurkiye) may be the most influential outside actor in Syria following the December 2024 downfall of Bashar Al Asad's (alt. Assad) regime. Asad's defeat dealt a blow to his regime's main foreign protectors, Russia and Iran. Turkey appears to be influential with the group that led the late 2024 campaign that ousted Asad, Hay'at Tahrir al Sham (HTS, a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization, or FTO), but the Turkey-HTS relationship is complicated. Additionally, Turkey directly sponsors the Syrian National Army (SNA) umbrella group that has helped Ankara wrest and maintain control of much of northern Syria from-and has continued to battle-Kurdish elements that lead the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Turkey's government opposes U.S. support for the SDF, and seeks to weaken the People's Protection Units (YPG) that lead the SDF, citing the YPG's links to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK, an FTO that has fought a decades-long insurgency against Turkish authorities). Turkey and HTS Turkey has a multifaceted relationship with HTS. Ankara officily lts HTS predecessor group Nusrah Front-an Al Qaeda affiliate until 20 16-as a terrorist organization. Yet, Turkeys protection of Idlib province, and HTS as its de facto ruler, from Syrian government and allied forces arguably helped HTS develop various military and political capabilities. Some reports suggest Turkey also may have provided HTS with drones and logistia support. A pillar of Turkey's longtime policy in Idlib was to prevent further refugee flows into Turkey, which reportedly hosts over three mlon out of the nealy five mllion Syrian refugees in the region. The extent to which HTS may rely on political or material backing from Turkey following the group's empowerment in post-Asad Syria is unclear. Turkish officials have indicated a willingness to provide certain forms of political, economic, and mitary assistance to authorities leading Syria's governance transition. HTS and other actors in the emerging transitional government in Syria state publicly that they seek a stable governing consensus, post-conflict recovery, and the potential return of Syrian refugees. Nevertheless, various factors could contribute to additional civil conflict and turmoil, including tensions based on ethnic, sectarian, and geographic differences; HTS's jihadist roots; continued external involvement in Syria; and some domestic opposition to foreign influence. Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov IN12473 CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress -

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