Skip to main content

Nato to discuss Turkey-Syria border crisis

All 28 Nato members are joining an extraordinary meeting to discuss Turkey's campaign against the Islamic State (IS) group and Kurdish militants.
The meeting was called by Turkey, which has staged a dramatic shift in its approach to the Syrian conflict.
The previously reluctant partner in the US-led coalition against IS has launched raids against IS in Syria.
Turkey's prime minister said he expects his country's allies to show solidarity and support for its campaign.
Analysts say a factor in its change in stance on the Syrian conflict are plans - not yet formally announced - to establish an "Islamic State-free zone" along its Syrian border in collaboration with the US.
As well as targeting IS militants, it would also allow Turkey to hit positions held by the Kurdish PKK group. Turkey says it draws no distinction between the PKK and IS, considering them both as terrorist organisations.
In a series of cross-border strikes since Friday, Turkey has not only targeted IS but also Kurdish fighters affiliated with forces battling the extremists in Syria and Iraq.
Meanwhile Turkish police have continued to arrest suspected members of IS, the PKK and leftist groups - more than 1,000 over the past week.
Buffer zone
Under the plans being finalised for the buffer zone, the militants would be removed from a 68-mile (109km) stretch west of the Euphrates River, officials say.
Such a deal would significantly increase the scope of the US-led air war against IS in northern Syria.
Last week Turkey agreed to allow the US to use its air base in Incirlik to launch air strikes against IS.
The Turkish government has long denied turning a blind eye to the rise of IS - or even actively backing the jihadists against the Assad regime, says the BBC's Mark Lowen in Istanbul.
But a wave of militant strikes has prompted it to take action.
Nonetheless, critics believe Turkey is only striking the jihadists as cover for going after its real enemy: the Kurds, our correspondent says.
The Turkish government's reluctance to hit IS earlier, the argument goes, was actually a reluctance to help Kurds fighting IS militants.
Now both can be bombed, Turkey is willing to get involved, he adds.
Analysis: Paul Adams, BBC diplomatic correspondent
Turkey's long-awaited involvement in the international coalition against IS, flying combat missions and making its vital airbases available to US jets, has been described as a possible "game changer."
But if the government in Ankara continues to see no difference between IS and the Kurdish PKK - a position repeated on Monday by Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu - then its latest move presents the rest of the coalition, in particular the Americans, with a dilemma.
For almost a year, Kurdish rebels (the YPG, closely allied with the PKK) have represented Washington's best hope for confronting IS on the ground in Syria.
But Turkey has no interest in promoting Kurdish success along its southern border, at a time when its own unresolved Kurdish conflict threatens to explode once more.

Popular posts from this blog

CNN Poll: Judging the Supreme Court

- As the Supreme Court gets ready to issue opinions on some high profile and contentious cases, a new national poll indicates Americans are split on whether the high court is doing a good job. According to a CNN/ORC International survey released Thursday morning, 48% of the public say they approve of the job the Supreme Court's doing, with an equal amount saying they disapprove. There is, however, an ideological divide. Fifty-three percent of liberals and 58% of moderates, but only 37% of conservatives, say that they approve of the court. "That's probably a reaction to last year's decision on Barack Obama's health care law," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. In a closely watched ruling, the court upheld the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, last June. "Before that ruling, most conservatives supported the Supreme Court, compared to only 44% of liberals. Now, most liberals approve of the court, with most co...

Who are the Niger Delta Avengers?

(Franks.) With a name that sounds like it has come from the pages of a superhero comic book, the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) is the latest militant group to emerge in Nigeria – attacking oil installations in a campaign which threatens the economy of Africa’s most populous state. “We are a group of educated and well-travelled individuals that are poised to take the Niger Delta struggle to new heights that has never been seen in this nation before,” the NDA proclaimed in one of their first statement’s on their website in April. “We have well-equipped human resources to meet this goal.” It was not an idle threat. The NDA has carried out a barrage of attacks on oil installations in the Niger Delta region, causing a huge decline in oil production, which is the mainstay of the West African state’s economy. “The renewed activities of the militants in the Niger Delta are seriously affecting our oil production,” Minister of Finance Kemi Adeosun admitted on state-owned NTA tele...

About 250 secondary school students in FGC Ekiti have been strangely hospitalized.

About 250 students of the Federal Government Girls’ College in Efon Alaaye, Ekiti State, have been infected with an outbreak of a disease suspected to be cholera.  Although some of the students affected were treated and discharged, a good number were still undergoing treatment in the hospital.  There were reports that parents had started rushing to retrieve their wards from the school as news of the epidemic became widespread on Thursday.  PREMIUM TIMES learnt that signs were noticed on October 10, when some students showed symptoms of the infection.  Although the school principal, Grace Ogunyomi, reported the matter to the state government, no immediate action beyond the routine medical attention was provided.  It was gathered that the students were infected in small numbers, but the matter escalated on Wednesday, resulting in government action, after the principal, Mrs. Ogunyomi, made a formal report.  Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, imm...