For two weeks, Turkey has been negotiating with Russia the conditions of her exit from Idleb, the area in northern Syria where all the remaining jihadists are amassed. Turkey insists that it will not be possible for her to withdraw as long as the Kurdish mercenaries continue to threaten her.

Discussions are focusing on a Russian-Turkish-Syrian operation to stamp out the Kurdish mercenaries of the PKK/YPG, who have already been abandoned by their former US employers. Russia would thus set up a military base in Ayn al-Arab (called “Kobane” by the Kurds in reference to the old German railway line “Kompany Bahn”) ensuring that it would no longer be claimed by the Kurds.