That could pose a problem for the U.S. because the Kurds in Syria and Iraq have been more effective ground fighters against the Islamic State than Iraq’s armed forces – meaning Turkish attacks on the Kurds could hamper efforts to defeat the Islamic State.
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However, he did note that the US has had unmanned systems for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) located within Turkey, and that turning them into strike vehicles is a simple matter of attaching weaponry.
Opponents have accused President Tayyip Erdogan of using the war against Islamic State as a cover for preventing Kurdish gains, pointing out the air strikes against the PKK have so far been heavier than those against the Islamist radicals.
“When you talk about moving in manned aircraft, that takes a little bit longer than what it did to get to the manned phase”, Davis explained. In recent weeks the group, also known as ISIS or ISIL, has mounted a series of attacks on a Syrian airbase 90 kilometers east of Homs and on villages in the countryside around the country’s third largest city, say local political activists and rival Syrian militias.
“As part of our agreement with the U.S., we have opened our air bases, particularly Incirlik“, Cavusoglu told state-run broadcaster TRT during his visit to Malaysia.
The kidnappings come on the heels of reports late last week that several moderate Syrian rebels going through the vetting process for the U.S. training program were captured by the Nusra Front. Official media in Turkey have said at least the military’s attacks in turn have killed 260 PKK members, in hundreds of sorties targeted against the group’s shelters, weapons stores and caves, mainly in Iraqi Kurdistan but also, yesterday, on Turkish soil. That may portend an interlude of mixed talking and fighting with Damascus while the battle against the Islamic State accelerates.
Five U.S.-trained Syrian rebels have been captured by extremist fighters since last week, a defense official said Tuesday.
U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration said Monday it was prepared to take “additional steps” to defend U.S.-trained and equipped forces, warning Bashar al-Assad’s regime “not to interfere”.
Davis declined to provide details on the new rules of engagement for the military, including what conditions have to exist before the U.S. can defend the Syrian rebels, and whether strikes would be limited to instances when only U.S.-trained rebels are at risk, or if other rebels who have not yet been trained can also be defended.
Ankara and Washington have been working on plans to sweep Islamic State away from the Turkish border, which the insurgents have used to smuggle in fighters and supplies. The circumstances were not clear, but officials added there was no opportunity for U.S. warplanes or armed drones to intervene.
The Prime Minister said the agreement with the U.S. on opening Turkish bases for allied jets fulfilled some of Turkey’s “concerns and expectations”.
For nearly a year now, British pilots have been taking part in the coalition strikes against Isil in Iraq.
Q. Is the U.S. setting up a no-fly zone?
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What’s planned appears prelude to Libya 2.0 – airstrikes on Syrian military targets, likely others not yet struck, escalated war to topple Assad, lawless butchery, a US specialty. That could lead to direct combat with Syrian forces. The town, once a government stronghold, was captured by opposition fighters and Islamic militants in May.
