Under current guidelines, U.S. forces can only conduct offensive missions against the Islamic State, and can’t go after other groups such as Assad government forces, largely due to worries it would set off war with Syria.
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Turkey, which had previously refused to take an active role against Islamic State, sent F-16 warplanes to bomb jihadists positions in Syria last month after a bombing in a border town and killing of a Turkish soldier in cross-frontier clashes.
But Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu indicated after meeting US Secretary of State John Kerry in Malaysia that Turkey would be stepping up its campaign against IS militants after it gave permission for US forces to conduct armed missions from its Incirlik air base.
U.S. officials believe Al Nusra, al Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria, was behind the attack.
This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
The U.S. and Turkey signed an agreement on February 17 that allowed up to 1,000 U.S. troops to participate in the training.
Five Division 30 fighters were killed and several others wounded, and the Nusra Front acknowledged some of its fighters had been killed in coalition airstrikes near Aleppo.
Mr Cavusoglu on Wednesday said the regions cleared of IS militants would automatically turn into a “natural safe zone” which would be filled by moderate rebels.
Davis said the United States remained committed to defending the Syrian fighters, including against the threat from Nusra Front, noting that the United States used air strikes to help repel the attack by suspected Nusra Front fighters on Friday.
In eastern Syria, the U.S. backed coalition destroyed three bridges on the Euphrates river including one close to the Syrian-Iraqi border, according to the Observatory and the Local Coordination Committees activist group.
“I am pleased that the administration has finally decided to provide additional military support to the Syrian forces the Department of Defense is training and equipping to counter ISIL in northern Syria”, said Sen.
The fighter described the attacks on U.S. Division 30 as a victory that “granted us valuable lessons, like the fact that these groups are the last hope for the U.S.in getting grip on the ground”. The Wall Street Journal reports that U.S. and European Union officials have “asked Turkey this week to tame its attacks against the PKK to prevent further destabilizing the country, threatening the peace talks between Turkey and the PKK“.
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Asked by reporters if the New Syrian Forces would fight only Daesh, spokesman Mark Toner said they would, and ruled active combat against the Nusra Front.
