No Exit: Turkey’s unexpected empire in Syria

Source:Ahval News Date:06Mar2018

There are signs the Turkish government understands that it has saddled itself with responsibility for the more than 2.5 million inhabitants of Idlib, Afrin and northern Aleppo.

After initially chaotic efforts, by early 2017 education, healthcare and religious institutions in northern Aleppo had largely come under the control of Diyanet, the Turkish Directorate of Religious Affairs, and a network of NGOs under its influence. Despite the persistence of militia infighting, the Turkish military has developed a structure through which to pay and discipline its proxy militias. In Idlib, the establishment of a network of Turkish military bases