A new drastic escalation in the Syria war has just started with the Turkish military’s downing of a Russian Su-24 fighter jet over Syria with the explanation that it had violated Turkish airspace. This took place just days after threatening Moscow with “serious consequences” if it continued bombing ISIS in Syria.
From the first days of the Syrian crisis, Turkey was the main gate to send fighters and weapons to Syria. The Turkish government has been consistent in pursuing its own agenda, which started with supporting the Islamic armed groups against the Syrian government. That includes al-Qaeda’s affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra, which shares many of its aspirations for a fundamentalist caliphate with ISIS.