Turkey Allows U.S.-Led Coalition to Use Its Bases Against ISIS, Fighting and Training Rebels

In a significant expansion of its role in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS), Turkey agreed to let the U.S.-led coalition to use its territory to launch attacks and train moderate Syrian rebels.

One of the Turkish bases includes Incirclik, strategically located 100 miles within the Syrian border, giving U.S. aircraft closer access to targets in neighboring Iraq and Syria.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Turkey’s MIT intelligence service will also use its database to select and screen the 2,000 fighters who will be trained to fight ISIS. Saudi Arabia has also agreed to allow its territory to be used in a similar program.

U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice told NBC’s Meet the Press that Turkey is also trying to prevent the flow of foreign fighters across its borders and extremists from exporting oil through Turkey.

The move comes after weeks of complaints that Turkey hasn’t done enough to combat ISIS, as it swept across Syria and Iraq and seized nearly half of the strategic town of Kobani.

Staffan de Mistura, U.N. special envoy to Syria, has warned that an ISIS massacre of more than 10,000 could be imminent if the international community allows Kobani to fall.

Turkey’s restraint has angered its own domestic Kurdish minority, 15 million strong, which rose up in the past week in riots that killed 38 people.

Turkish leaders have pushed the U.S. to establish a no-fly zone in northern Syria, and to make a greater effort to dislodge Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. But in her interview with NBC News, Rice confirmed the U.S. is not seriously considering the proposition of a no-fly zone, because it was not “essential to the goal of degrading and ultimately destroying ISIS” (some regional analysts disagree with that assessment).

Kurds Hold Their Ground in Kobani, as Battles and Airstrikes Continue

Fighting continued over the weekend in the Syrian border town of Kobani, with ISIS taking roughly half of the city while Kurdish fighters held their ground. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry acknowledged the tenuous situation but said the defense of Kobani does not define the international counterterrorism strategy.

In Syria, the U.S.-led strikes have primarily targeted ISIS infrastructure and sources of revenue. There has been a debate over the effectiveness of the campaign, particularly because it has not prevented an ISIS advance in Kobani.

Last week, the White House admitted that without a viable force on the ground in Syria, airstrikes could only have a limited effect. Officials have spoken of years of counterterrorism efforts ahead.

As Iran and U.S. Trade Messages on ISIS, Tehran Warns of Risks to Israeli Security

In what would be a rare confirmation of Iran-U.S. discussions over ISIS, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian told Iranian media that Iran has exchanged messages with the U.S. about the fight against ISIS militants in Syria and Iraq.

In contrast, Susan Rice told NBC News the U.S. is not coordinating with Iran.

Abdollahian went on to say that Iran has warned Washington that Israeli security would be at risk, should the U.S. seek the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad; President Obama called for Assad’s ouster more than three years ago.

Iran is Assad’s most important regional ally, committing military and financial support to the survival of the Syrian regime.

This all comes at a time when the U.S. is trying to salvage a nuclear deal with Iran, which would reset the regional dynamic and the framework for cooperation between Washington and Tehran.

More Recommended Reads:

New York Times: As Western Bombs Fall on Syria, Western Jihadists Defend Their War on Assad

Reuters: Kurds Hold off Islamic State in Kobani; Fighters Strike in Iraq

Wall Street Journal: Islamic State’s Siege of Kobani, Syria Sparks Protests in Kabul, Afghanistan

Washington Post: U.N. Envoy Invokes Srebrenica Massacre in Call for Help for Syrian Town of Kobane

Carnegie Europe: Turkey’s Dangerous Bet on Syria

New York Times: A Visual Guide to the Crisis in Iraq and Syria