Putin: Turkish invasion of Syria could release thousands of Isis fighters

Vladimir Putin has said the Turkish invasion into northern Syria could set free thousands of Isis fighters currently under Kurdish control and their potential escape is “a real threat for us”.

Speaking at a meeting of leaders of ex-Soviet states in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, Putin said he was not sure that Turkey could prevent the escape of prisoners as it presses ahead with an offensive against Kurdish forces in northern Syria.

“It’s a zone where Isis fighters are concentrated, they are still being held by Kurdish military groups,” said Putin. “Now the Turkish army is going in, the Kurds are leaving these camps, and the Isis fighters inside can just escape. I’m not sure if the Turkish army can take [the fighters] under their control.”

Kurdish forces continue to guard large detention camps in northern Syria where thousands of suspected Isis fighters and other prisoners are held. Putin’s remarks are a measured criticism of the Turkish offensive, adding to the diplomatic pressure on Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, to halt the attack.

“This is a real threat for all of us,” Putin said. “How and where will they travel? Through Turkish territory, through other territories, further into Syria in uncontrolled territory, then through Iraq, other countries. We should understand this, know this, and mobilise the resources of our intelligence services to deal with this new threat.”

The invasion began after Donald Trump announced a sudden withdrawal of US troops from northern Syria following a telephone call with Erdoğan, giving what some saw as a green light for Turkey to attack Kurdish forces across the border. The US has since criticised the Turkish offensive, saying ethnic cleansing or firing on civilian populations could trigger sanctions.

Putin has become a power player in the region since Russia intervened in Syria’s civil war on the side of Bashar al-Assad in 2015, providing a vital lifeline that allowed the Syrian leader to beat back an insurgency that had nearly toppled his government.

Russia has estimated that there are thousands of Islamist fighters from the former Soviet Union in Syria and has said that threat is one of the reasons for its intervention in the civil war.

In a sign of the shifting geopolitical alliances, the US and Russia opposed a draft statement by European members of the United Nations security council on Thursday to condemn the Turkish invasion.