Washington supports Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a coalition force dominated by the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG), in its fight against ISIS because it considers the SDF to be the most efficient group in fighting extremists.
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Turkey has launched two incursions into Syria since August 24 in an operation created to drive IS away from the border and prevent the advance of USA -backed Kurdish forces, which are also battling the extremist group. Ankara conducted airstrikes against IS inside Syria after that.
Turkey-backed Free Syrian Army rebels have cleared the area between the northern Syrian border towns of Azaz and Jarablus, Turkey’s prime minister Binali Yildirim said.
Turkey is fighting a three-decade-old Kurdish insurgency in its southeast and fears that gains by the Syrian Kurdish YPG will embolden militants at home.
The Turkish government also deems the Syrian-Kurdish YPG group a terrorist organisation.
However, the US sees the YPG militia as an important strategic part of the USA -led anti-IS coalition and has provided them with extensive aid and air strikes.
The FSA’s advance shut down key supply lines used by the shadowy Daesh terrorist group that calls itself “Islamic State” to bring in foreign fighters, weapons and ammunition.
Turkish tanks stationed near the Syrian border, in Karkamis, Turkey, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2016. Dubbed Euphrates Shield, it backs pro-Ankara opposition fighters in the goal of rooting out Isis jihadists and Kurdish militia from the border area.
Turkish Air Force launched an operation August 24 with support of the coalition aircraft to liberate Syria’s Jarabulus from the IS militants.
President Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday raised concern about the formation of a “terror corridor” along Turkey’s Syrian border.
The Islamic State jihadist group claimed responsibility for the attacks.
USA presidential envoy to the anti-ISIS coalition Brett McGurk met with Kurdish allies in northern Syria last week, a State Department spokesperson said on Monday. From the beginning we have been defending Turkey’s territorial integrity. The Kurds, however, have local supporters in both Manbij and Jarablus.
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The warplanes hit three targets in the al-Kaldi area and another in the Wuguf region, Anadolu said, citing the sources.
