Turkey is concerned about the momentum building toward formation of a Kurdish state since 20 to 25 percent of its people are Kurds, an ethnic group also found in Iran, Iraq and Syria. “The goal is to establish an ISIL-free zone and ensure greater security and stability along Turkey’s border in Syria“, the official said in a statement. In the traditional sense, a country or coalition that employs a no-fly zone uses frequent air patrols to prevent unauthorized aircraft from operating within a designated area.
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At a Pentagon briefing, Davis said that Defense Secretary Ashton Carter was reviewing the options that came with Turkey’s surprise announcement last week permitting the U.S.to use the Air Force base at Incirlik, Turkey, for strikes against ISIS in Syria, but decisions were weeks away.
Bilgiç’s remarks seemingly contradicted US State Department spokesman John Kirby, who told journalists on 27 July that the coalition had carried airstrikes to help the YPG and that “I would expect that that kind of air support will continue”.
Both the United States and Turkey approved military action against the Islamic State group in late 2014 after the extremist group seized vast tracts of territory in Iraq and Syria.
Not only is Turkey plagued with ISIS sympathizers and an influx of almost three million Syrian refugees, but in the past week Turkey became an active target.
Turkey’s plan to establish a buffer zone along its border with Syria to counter the threat posed by Islamic State (Isis) militants is a cover to stop Kurdish rebels from forming their own state, the leader of Turkey’s pro-Kurdish party says. Turkey has directly opposed Assad and seeks the end of his rule over Syria. Washington would do well to refine its policy and its role. While it hasn’t been determined how deep the strip would extend into Syria, it would mean an additional “safe zone” for Syrian refugees. America does not support the separatist PKK, but PKK forces have been effective in combating the Islamic State, now considered America’s No. 1 enemy in the Middle East.
From Turkey’s perspective, al-Qaeda seems to be the least-objectionable rebel faction, but selling that idea to the United States may be hard as well, antiwar.com reported.
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But the attacks on Islamic State targets inside Syria and the early morning raids across 13 provinces at home, which also targeted Kurdish militants, are among its most robust operations yet.
