Vladimir Putin (the Russian president) is a man hell-bent on restoring the power of the old Soviet Union. As part of his plan, he has formed an alliance with Turkey. A Russian spokesperson has said that 9 Russian and 8 Turkish jet fighters had jointly attacked ISIS positions close to El-Bab to help the Turkish attack. The Russians are also closely allied with Iran and had some time back used the Hamadama base there to attack ISIS targets with their TU-22 bombers. Now, the Turkish and Russian Air Force have jointly attacked ISIS targets in Syria.
There was a time when Turkey and Russia were on opposite sides of the conflict in Syria, but all that has changed. Both nations have successfully agreed to a cease-fire, and, as per reports, the cease-fire is holding on the ground in Syria. These joint attacks herald a geo-political change in the region with the Obama administration effectively shut out of Syria.
Turkey's grouse
The Turks had also offered the Incirlik base to the Russians as well. The change in Turkey came after the attempted military coup last year which Erdogan (the Turkish president) blamed on the CIA. He also blamed cleric Gulen who is in exile in the USA, and asked the Obama administration to hand him over to Turkey. The request was denied.
Russia in Syria
The war in Syria is going the Russian way, and the forces of Assad (with support from the Russian Air Force) have attacked and recaptured the city of Aleppo from ISIS. The Turks were not making much headway in their offensive against ISIS and the Kurds in West Syria, but now, with Russian airpower they may perform better.
In contrast, the American-aided effort of the Iraqi army to capture Mosul is bogged down ,and Donald Trump has adversely commented on this.
Changing scenario
The Turks and Putin have agreed to invite representatives of Trump for the Syria peace talks later on, though Iran is against it. The Turkish-Russia military cooperation has changed the face of politics in West Asia. By shutting out Obama, both parties have signaled a defeat for American policy in Syria. Things may change once Trump is the president, as Putin has great regard for him.
