Turkey to take firmer stand against ISIS/ISIL

Long criticized by its allies for taking too soft a line against jihadists, Turkey is taking firmer action against the Islamic State (IS) on the border with Syria after being shaken by attacks on its soil and the Paris assaults.

Ankara is sealing its border to the jihadists who moved to and fro across the frontier during much of the four-year civil war in Syria and stepping up raids against IS suspects.

It says it is also moving with the United States in a joint air operation backed by rebel forces on the ground to wrest 98 kilometers of the Syrian border in the hands of jihadists.

Until now, Turkey's NATO allies had been alarmed Ankara turned too much of a blind eye to extremist Islamist forces in Syria.

Western sources lamented that jihadists would arrive in Istanbul by air from Europe, go by road to the southern cities of Sanliurfa or Gaziantep and then cross the border into Syria.

"The Turkish authorities were perfectly aware of this traffic," said a Western diplomat.

"They let it happen, making the bet that it would hasten the fall of their arch enemyAssad."

Turkey has vehemently rejected accusations of failing to properly police the 911 kilometer border.

Ankara has also called for better intelligence sharing from its allies - a complaint also echoed by its Western partners.

It became clear that IS was a threat to Turkish territory as anywhere else.
 AFP
globaltimes.cn
23/11/15
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