The Economist | (Video News Report) | – –
“Mosul stands on the brink of recapture from Islamic State fighters, but the future of the city is uncertain. With several parties jostling for control of Mosul, fragile alliances could fracture, increasing the likelihood of bloody sectarian conflict.”
The video presents Turkey as fearing Kurdish independence. This is true with respect to the Syrian Kurds, but it is not at all clear whether this would still apply to Iraqi Kurdistan, whose strongman Barzani is a Turkish ally if not client. Erdogan may well see an independent Iraqi Kurdistan as an opportunity to extend his control. He and Barzani would still disagree about Mosul, though. (The Turks seem focused on the situation of the region’s Turkmen population, esp. Sunni Turkmen.)
concerning the fight in Syria,
the Trump foreign policy team has a very specific operational level (above strategic) objective in Syria — to take land from Syrian Arabs and give it to Kurds.
Talk about fighting or defeating ISIS is a cover story.
I leave it to others to examine the reasons.