Ankara: The US and Turkey have agreed to work together to drive Islamic State (IS) jihadists from northern Syria, senior US officials said yesterday, as Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu vowed to press ahead with parallel strikes against Kurdish militants.
The potentially game-changing accord with the US was revealed as Turkey fuelled the growing anger of its Kurdish minority by shelling a Kurdish-held village in northern Syria while its warplanes continued to pound Kurdish targets in northern Iraq.
Referring to Islamic State, a senior US official said that Ankara and Washington aimed “to establish an ISIL-free zone and ensure greater security and stability along Turkey’s border with Syria”. Details of the zone “remain to be worked out”, the official said and added that “any joint military efforts will not include the imposition of a no-fly zone” — a long standing Turkish demand.
But many question whether Turkey is more interested in limiting Kurdish capabilities in Syria and Iraq than tackling IS.
Davutoglu said Turkey would press ahead with military operations against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) until the group disarmed. “We will continue our fight until we obtain a certain result,” he told ATV television, urging the Kurdish separatists to deliver on its 2013 promise to lay down arms.
Turkey has called an extraordinary Nato meeting today over its “anti-terror” offensive against the Kurdish rebels and IS. Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg backed Turkey’s right to defend itself but told the BBC Sunday “of course self-defence has to be proportionate”.
He also cautioned Ankara about burning bridges with the Kurds. “For years there has been progress to try to find a peaceful political solution,” he told Norwegian state broadcaster NRK.
Davutoglu told a group of Turkish newspaper editors that Ankara’s intervention in Iraq and Syria would “change the balance” in the region, but ruled out sending ground troops into Syria.
Davutoglu said Ankara’s demands for a no-fly zone were addressed “to a certain extent”, according to the Hurriyet daily. “Air cover is important, the air protection for the Free Syrian Army and other moderate elements fighting Daesh,” he said. “If we will not send ground forces — and that we will not do — then certain elements that cooperate with us on the ground must be protected,” Davutoglu added.
AFP
