Muhsen AlMustafa, a researcher assistant at the Omran Center for Strategic Studies and a former non-resident fellow at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy, expects Erdogan’s current policy to continue if he wins the elections, noting that “voluntary return operations may increase due to the economic crisis and the repercussions of the earthquake,” as he told Syria Direct.

AlMustafa believes that Kilicdaroglu’s talk about withdrawing from Syria is merely electoral promises and does not represent a real political plan, saying: “They make promises for the sake of elections, and when one of them comes to power, they will face reality,” pointing out that “the army and intelligence will not accept losing these advantages derived from military operations; it is a matter of national security.”