Syria's Kurdish Threat to Turkish Interests

Recent clashes between Syrian Kurdish factions and the Free Syrian Army highlight a potential tool Ankara could use to contain the growing threat Kurdish separatism poses to Turkey. The conflict began Oct. 25, when for the first time rebels from the Free Syrian Army, or FSA, reportedly entered the Kurdish districts of Ashrafiyeh and Sheikh Maqsud in northern Aleppo. Syrian government forces responded by shelling these districts, killing several Kurdish civilians.