Behind the scenes of Baghdadi's death reveal America's mistrust of Turkey

Accused in an underground tunnel near Baricha village, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, targeted early Sunday (October 27th), activated his explosive jacket. The head of the Islamic State organization is dead, again drawing attention to the Syrian province of Idleb. An area located less than ten kilometers from the Turkish border and known to have become the "last refuge of Syrian rebels" resisting the forces of President Bashar al-Assad.

Curious refuge, for the self-proclaimed "caliph" of the Islamic State group, than that highlighting the conflicting interests of the various forces engaged in the Syrian war. Indeed, at a time when the entire international community welcomes the assassination of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, its location and the way in which the US attack was planned and executed highlight the threats that persist in this region, and beyond.

Turkey fails to rid Idleb of jihadists

On the map of fighting in Syria, the area in which the village of Baricha is located is identified as being "under rebel control". Here live three million people, mostly civilians, cohabiting with a brewing of jihadist groups, including the Syrian branch of Al Qaeda, but also a number of allied factions or warring factions, the most deadly rivals of the Islamic State group .

In Idleb, Turkey has a dozen observation posts to monitor the rebel zone, where the Free Syrian Army (ASL) also operates. After negotiating a ceasefire with Russia and Iran, as part of the Astana process, Turkey has emerged as the "guarantor" of Idleb's pocket.

The agreement provided for the creation of a buffer zone, requested by Turkey, to protect the inhabitants of Idleb from attacks by President Assad's forces.

In return, Ankara was required to rid the province of all jihadist groups, including Al Qaeda and separatist groups.

The presence of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in Idleb during the Special Forces operation thus helped to highlight Turkey's failure to implement its commitment.

The Turkish air base of Incirlik shunned

From the point of view of the defense community and the fight against terrorism, the origin of the American operation also raises questions, and highlights the tensions between Turkey and its fellow NATO members.

On Sunday, US attack helicopters took off around midnight for Idleb. Some 200 kilometers from the village of Baricha is the Incirlik Air Base, the second largest NATO air base in southern Turkey. By its strategic position, the helicopters could have left this base. It is not so. Instead, the helicopters, filled with commandos and equipment from the Delta Force, took off from Al-Assad air base in Anbar province, western Iraq. 800 kilometers from Baricha, thus taking a path sweeping Syria from east to west on a dangerous terrain held by the enemy.

"We long suspected #Baghdadi was hiding in #Idlib," senior USG official. This region of #Syria is under the management of Turkey. If this statement is accurate, Qs arguments about what #Turkish Intel might have known about it, and for how long. https://t.co/2YLOLTTVkW

In the aftermath of President Donald Trump's announcement, the Washington Post has cut corners, questioning the security concerns of the international coalition's allies against ISIS. "The fact that US forces did not use Turkey's neighboring air base at Incirlik as a transit location, or inform Ankara about the target of the operation in advance, is indicative of the unreliability of a ally on which Mr. Trump said to count to prevent the resurgence of the Islamic State ", notes the American daily.

"What we do know is that the Turkish government has been very upset by the way the US government continues to cooperate closely with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF, led by the Kurds)," said Nicholas Heras of the Center for at New American Security, in an interview at France 24.

"For operational reasons, the United States considered it preferable to leave Erbil, in a more coordinated security atmosphere for the United States that made it more unlikely for [the Islamic State] group to be warned of the raid beforehand." ", continues the one who advised US officials of the fight against terrorism. "If you read between the lines of what American officials say, it is clear that we do not trust Turkey enough to cooperate closely."

Cooperation with FDS, sworn enemy of Turkey

Striking contrast: recent reports have highlighted the essential role of SDF, Turkey's sworn enemy, in the assault that led to the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

High adviser FDS, Polat Can revealed Tuesday, in a detailed tweet, that one of the group's sources had managed to steal the used underwear of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, then a sample of his blood. These elements, later transmitted to the US intelligence services, made it possible to obtain DNA matches and to move the operation to a higher speed, "more than a month ago," he said. .

1- Through our own sources, we managed to confirm that Al Baghdadi had moved from Al Dashisha to Deir Al Zor to Idlib. Since 15 May, we have been working with the CIA to track Al Baghdadi and monitor him closely.

However, the Turkish invasion of northeastern Syria on 9 October "delayed the operation," he said.

Meanwhile, Washington confirmed Tuesday an SDS announcement - issued just hours after the announcement of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's death - that a joint raid between Kurdish and US forces in Jarablous (northern Aleppo province) had killed another high-level figure in the Islamic State group, his spokesman, Abu Hassan al-Muhajir.

Just confirmed that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's number one replacement has been terminated by American troops. Most likely would have taken the top spot - now he is also dead!

This raid was "a continuation of the previous operation," said Syrian Democratic Forces commander Mazloum Abdi, a sign of closeness between the action of the SDS and that of the United States.

Successful & historical operation due to a joint intelligence work with the United States of America.

For further information, please contact Abu Bakir al-Bagdadi.

Thanks to all who participate in this great mission. @ RealDonaldTrump # SDF # USArmy #Rojava #Baghdadi

Earlier this month, however, the US president's sudden decision to withdraw his troops from Syria prompted sharp criticism of his betrayal of the Kurds, Washington's most committed military allies in the fight against ISIS.

Donald Trump has since tried to backtrack, announcing the redeployment of US troops from the Turkish-invaded border area to an area further east to protect oil wells still under Kurdish control. But since the oil wells were destroyed by fighting in the Syrian war, the announcement was widely seen as an attempt to keep US special forces in this volatile zone.

Alliances between Islamist groups

While ASL groups fought with al-Qaeda-linked groups such as the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Front al-Nusra), Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's presence in an area controlled by Rebels underscores the fluid and improbable alliances between militant Islamist groups.

Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi was found in the house of Abu Mohammed Salama, a commander of Hurras ad-Din, a Salafist jihadist group that swore allegiance to Al Qaeda. And although al Qaeda and the Islamic State organization are rivals, Hurras ad-Din members are believed to have helped members of the IS group flee their last pockets of control in eastern Syria. Idleb.

Turkey, which focuses on fighting Kurdish fighters in the region, has finally shown little enthusiasm to crack down on jihadist groups operating in northern Syria.

Since Ankara joined NATO in 1952, the organization has emphasized the importance of the Turkish Incirlik base. A strategic bridge to the Black Sea and the Mediterranean during the Cold War, which was highlighted during the annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014.

The military operation that led to the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi revealed the de facto exclusion of Turkey by NATO. While Turkey, for its part, strengthened its military ties with Moscow and Beijing.

"The United States has established other bases that can unload and diminish the importance of Incirlik," notes Nicholas Heras. "There are bases in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Erbil, an advanced operational base in Greece and other parts of the region, which reduces the importance of Incirlik."

The mistrust of the United States towards Turkey, according to Nicholas Heras, shows some similarities with the tense relations between the Americans and Pakistan during the raid that led to the death of Osama bin Laden in 2011. in Islamabad.

Pakistan, an ally of the United States during the Cold War and partner of the war on terror, was informed of the operation only after the death of the founder of Al Qaeda and the return of the American team on an air base in Afghanistan.

After more than 60 years of military marriage between Turkey and its Western NATO partners, the Alliance seems tinged with disenchantment. But neither side is ready for an official divorce.

Article adapted from the English by Pauline Rouquette. Original text to find here.