The Syrian people need a no-fly-zone. Tens of thousands of Syrian civilians have died due to barrel bombs from Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces and millions have been displaced as a consequence. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has repeatedly called for such a plan to be implemented, but to no avail, as the United States continues to show signs of reluctance in following up with this demand. Syrian protesters have consistently raised banners that read: "Yes to Turkey's conditions for intervention."

Syrian rebels overwhelmingly support this initiative. When the Turkish government called for a no-fly-zone from Azzaz to Jarablus, even al-Nusra Front, a rebel faction that views Turkey as "un-Islamic," withdrew from rural Aleppo to make way for the potential safe zone that was to be used as a place of refuge for hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees. Other major rebel factions like the Jabha al-Shamiya, Zahran Alloush's Jaish al-Islam, Ahrar al-Sham and the Southern Front welcomed the initiative. This is a combined force of tens of thousands of Syrian fighters who are in dire need of air power to fend off Assad, Iranian, and now Russia.

It is time for the Turkish government to start thinking about taking a more proactive role. A little over a month ago, Iran's interior minister was spotted wearing military attire alongside a PKK commander in the Qandil Mountains. This meeting happened as the PKK was initiating bombing campaigns targeting Turkish civilians and military personnel. At the same time, Assad's forces have been responsible for numerous attacks on Turkish cities on the border, causing the deaths of dozens of Turkish citizens. The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) continues to be a threat to Turkish national security, with the Suruç suicide bombing being the prime example. There are more than enough reasons for a Turkish military response to the Assad regime and its allies.

However, Syrian rebels have yet to see the same support, or even a fraction of it, in comparison with the support that Iran and Russia provide to Assad. The Russian and Iranian role in Syria is a detrimental one and highly unpopular with Syrians. The opposite is the case for a Turkish intervention that would cease Assad's barrel bombs and remove the ISIS threat. Contrary to Assad, who lacks the manpower to pursue a ground offensive without the aid of foreign mercenaries rendering Russian airstrikes useless in tilting the battle to his favor, the Turkish-backed Syrian rebels have the necessary manpower and military expertise to end Assad's reign, making a Turkish-led no-fly zone ever more effective. U.S. Senator John McCain, in a recent Fox news interview, suggested that more arms should be given to Syrian rebels, including MANPADS, to counter any kind of air force targeting the Syrian rebels.

Erdoğan, after securing his third term in office, said: "Sarajevo won today as much as Istanbul, Beirut won as much as İzmir, Damascus won as much as Ankara, Ramallah, Nablus, Jenin, the West Bank and Jerusalem won as much as Diyarbakır." The people of Syria noted this mentioning of Damascus. Syrians celebrated the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) victory just as Turks did in Kasımpaşa, Erdoğan's childhood neighborhood. The people of Syria continue to wait for concrete efforts that go further than the very welcomed generosity the Turkish government has displayed with respect to refugees. Unfortunately, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi is providing mortars to Assad, and the Arab League is nowhere to be found. Syrians and free Arabs are praying for an AK Party win on Nov. 1, as well as a more determined Turkey that will assist the Syrian people in ridding the world of one of its most brutal dictators.

*Master's of science student in petroleum engineering at Texas A&M University