Washington and Ankara are ready to work together to push Islamic State jihadists out of their de facto capital of Raqa in northern Syria, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in comments published yesterday. BBC reported, quoting Erdogan as saying, Turkey would have “no problem” with such action.
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Turkey plunged into Syria with ground forces for the first time, using tanks, artillery and air power to help a force comprising US- and Turkish-backed Syrian rebels seize a border area from Islamic State.
Three Turkish soldiers were killed and another wounded in an attack Friday on an army tank launched by Islamic State (IS) group jihadists in northern Syria, the Turkish army said in a statement on state media.
Ibrahim Kalin, spokesman for Erdogan, said Tuesday that the ceasefire could begin with a 48-hour-truce that would then be lengthened and would see both the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and opposition fighters halt fire.
The spokesperson of the US-led coalition against IS, John Dorrian, tweeted on Thursday that Turkey, the United States and Syrian opposition fighters were working “to come up with a game plan” for Raqa.
“Obama wants to do some things jointly concerning Raqqa”, Erdogan said. “We said, “Let our soldiers come together, whatever is necessary will be done”, the Turkish president said, adding that a specific Turkish role would depend on further talks.
It said Turkey’s rebel allies had taken six more villages, located in Islamic State-held areas, adding to dozens of settlements now under the control of Turkish-backed forces. Starting from the moment when Russian Federation secured its presence in Syria forming an air space, it was impossible to carry out any air operation in that space, but Turkey conducted that operation also through the help of military aircraft which was impossible without mutual agreements with Russian Federation.
There is now a desire on both sides to improve ties and the suggestion from President Erdogan of United States acquiescence in a Turkish role in the wider battle-plan to recapture Raqqa from IS is clearly part of this.
Ankara has said the YPG must be made to withdraw to the eastern banks of the Euphrates river or it will be a legitimate target.
“If we take a step back, terror groups like Daesh, PKK, PYD or YPG will settle there”.
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“But at this stage we have to show our presence in the region, ” he said.
